cockney

Everyday

1. A person from the East End of London, traditionally someone born within the sound of the Bow Bells church. tree →
2. The accent and dialect of London's East End, which drops some h sounds and uses «rhyming slang». tree →

In the lessons

In English and history lessons, Cockney is an example of a dialect. Cockney rhyming slang says a rhyme instead of the word, like «apples and pears» for stairs. In films, characters like Mary Poppins' Bert speak Cockney.

Examples

• He was born in the East End, a true Cockney. tree →
• «Apples and pears» means stairs in Cockney rhyming slang. tree →
• She speaks with a Cockney accent. tree →
• Cockneys often drop the h: «'ello». tree →
• «Use your loaf» is Cockney for «use your head». tree →
• Bert in «Mary Poppins» has a Cockney accent. tree →

Note

Often capital C. Cockney is a dialect, not wrong English; Standard English is used in school writing. Rhyming slang: «loaf of bread» = head, so «loaf» means head.