The Language of London

The definitive guide to the vibrant and inventive language of the East End, featuring history, trivia and anecdotes. Cockney rhyming slang originated as a secret code among the thieves of London's East End. Adopted by costermongers and market traders, it fast became a vibrant patois that defined a community, confused the police and evolved to include ever more colourful rhyming phrases. Constantly updated and added to ever since, and fostered by Londoners citywide, it has long enlivened the stre