Rhyming slang

BBC Learning EnglishLondon LifeRhyming slangCallum: Hello I'm Callum Robertson and this is London LifeIn the programme today we take a brief look at rhymingslang, an interestingform of vocabulary where an expression which rhymes withword you mean is used, for example, the phrase 'boat race'
　　– the boat race is a famous sporting event held in Londonbut the phrase 'boat race' is also rhyming slang 1 for'face'.
　　'Race' rhymes with 'face'.
　　One of the features of rhyming slang is that often the wordthat rhymes is not actually said. So for example 'boatrace' is shortened 2 to just 'boat'. 'She's got a prettyboat' means she's got a pretty face.
　　It's not unusual to hear rhyming slang expressions all overthe country but perhaps it's best known as Cockney rhymingslang. A cockney is someone who comes from a particularpart of east London, but what is rhyming slang andhow did it come about?
　　Here is a true cockney, Larry Barnes to explain. What doeshe say the word slang stands for and where does he say itcomes from.
　　LARRY BARNESRhyming slang was originally, well, s – lang, secretlanguage, which I was always taught as a youngster 3, it wasthe secret language of the markets so that if a stallholderwanted to talk to astallholder on the opposite side of the street without thepunters in the middle knowing what he was talking abouthe'd use rhyming slang.
　　Callum: He says that slang stands for s – lang, secretlanguage and that it came from the markets. The people whowork on a market are the stallholders and if they wanted totalk to each other without the customers, or punters, as hecalls them understanding, they would use rhyming slang.
　　Listen againLARRY BARNESRhyming slang was originally, well, s – lang, secretlanguage, which I was always taught as a youngster, it wasthe secret language of the markets so that if a stallholderwanted to talk to a stallholder on the opposite side of thestreet without the punters in the middle knowing what hewas talking about he'd use rhyming slang.
　　Callum: He goes on to give an example of a sentence usingtraditional rhyming slang.
　　LARRY BARNESHe wouldn't say do you fancy a walk down the road to thepub for a quick pint 4 of beer, he's say do you fancy a balldown the frog to the rubber for a quick pint of wallop.
　　Callum: Mmm, I think that needs a little translation!
　　First, let's hear the normal English sentence again.
　　LARRY BARNESHe wouldn't say do you fancy a walk down the road to thepub for a quick pint of beer,Callum: Do you fancy a walk down the road to the pub for aquick pint of beer? Now what about the rhyming slangversion?
　　LARRY BARNESDo you fancy a ball down the frog to the rubber for a quickpint of wallop,Callum: do you fancy a ball down the frog to the rubber fora quick pint of wallop. Let's translate that now!
　　Do you fancy – would you likeA ball – ball is the shortened form of the expression balland chalk, which is cockney rhyming slang for 'walk'.
　　Next down the frogFrog is the shortened form of frog and toad 5 which isrhyming slang for 'road' Rub is rub a dub 6 - pubThen we have a quick pint of wallop, wallop isn't rhymingslang but it is an old slang word for beer.
　　So putting that all together we have – Do you fancy a balldown to the frog for a quick pint of wallop!
　　A feature of rhyming slang is that it changes and develops.
　　A new book has been published which updates rhyming slang.
　　It's called 'Shame about the boat race' and Duncan Blackworks for its publisher Collins. He explains howcelebrities and characters from television have become partof rhyming slang and he mentions a number of celebrities 7.
　　Britney Spears is one of them, what is her name rhymingslang for?
　　DUNCAN BLACKWell generally new slang terms tend to focus around popculture and celebrities. My personal favourites areBritneys, for Britney Spears, beers, Basil as in BasilFawlty, balti. Or Billie Piper as in Windscreen wiper.
　　Callum: Britney Spears – beers – so now you can say yougo down to the pub for a few Britneys. He also mentionedsome names from British TV, Basil Fawlty – rhyming slangfor the Indian food 'balti' and Billie Piper, slang forwindscreen wiper.
　　Because the slang is coming from celebrities who come andgo it means the language changes very quickly, but makingnew rhyming slang is very easy and is egalitarian.
　　Egalitarian means anyone can do it, it's not something thatonly specialists and experts can do. Duncan Black explainshow.
　　DUNCAN BLACKIt's very easy to use, it's egalitarian, anyone can have ago, you just need a name or something or someone whichrhymes with something.
　　Callum: Anyone can have a go, he says, anyone can try it,you just need a name which rhymes with something. So whynot have a go yourself, try an make a sentence in which youreplace the name of an object with the name of a celebritywhich rhymes.
　　That's all for today, I'm off to the Indian for a Basil andsome Britneys.