Latest news with #Cockney
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Double talk
A former associate editor with the Times of India, Jug Suraiya writes two regular columns for the print edition, Jugular Vein, which appears every Friday, and Second Opinion, which appears on Wednesdays. His blog takes a contrarian view of topical and timeless issues, political, social, economic and speculative. LESS ... MORE The use of language as a form of deliberate miscommunication In a London pub I heard a man at the bar expressing displeasure about something or other, saying 'Up the Khyber'. He wasn't talking about a trip he'd made to the mountain pass close to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border; he was using what is called Cockney rhyming slang to vent annoyance. In the Cockney argot of London's East End, Khyber refers to a person's derriere, Khyber Pass rhyming with the vulgarism for one's bottom, or what in American English is called an ass. Cockney rhyming slang is a coded language, or cryptolect, which is said to have originated in the 1840s among residents who lived 'within the sound of Bow Bells', referring to an area around the Church of Saint Mary-le-Bow in Cheapside. The first published record of this form of double talk is the Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant and Vulgar Words, compiled in 1859 by James Camden Hotten. Rhyming slang was devised as a coded sub-language, which only the initiated could understand, and which would be meaningless to unwanted outsiders and eavesdroppers, like policemen. So, a 'tea leaf' means thief, and a 'pork pie' is a lie. With its misogynistic overtones, 'trouble and strife' stands for wife, and 'China', short for China plate, refers to a mate, an idiomatic term for a friend. To compound confusion, the second word, which rhymes with what's being referred to, is often dropped. To say 'I'm going up the apples' means 'I'm going up the stairs', apples and pears chiming with stairs. While Cockney slang has rhyme if not reason, similar double talk in other parts of the world has its own motivated reason, if not rhyme. For instance, in India's political patois, 'urban Naxal' refers to anyone whose ideology is different from that of the speaker, an alternative trope being a 'subversive element'. But perhaps the most confounding example of double talk, which is really doublespeak, is to be found in Pakistan, where the term 'freedom fighter' is a code term for terrorist, a word that does not exist in Islamabad's lexicon. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
Mint
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Stolen in 5 minutes: Thieves get jailed for stealing 18-carat gold toilet, called America: Check how much it's worth
Two men from Oxford have been jailed for stealing a £4.8 million ($6.5 million) gold toilet. The crime took place during an art show at Blenheim Palace in 2019. The solid 18-carat gold toilet is called America. It was stolen just after a launch party at the palace. The artwork was created by Italian visual artist Maurizio Cattelan, who became popular after creating the viral artwork of a fresh banana duct-taped to a wall. James Sheen, 40, admitted to burglary and selling the stolen gold. Michael Jones, 39, was found guilty of burglary, the BBC reported. Sheen was sentenced to four years, and Jones got two years and three months. The court called it a 'bold and brazen' theft that took just over five minutes. Sheen's DNA, gold pieces in his clothes and messages on his phone helped convict him. Senior crown prosecutor Shan Saunders said it was rare to find so much information on one phone. During the trial, jurors heard voice notes from Sheen to Fred Doe, who was earlier found guilty of planning to sell the stolen gold toilet. The messages were hard to understand because they used coded words, Romany slang and Cockney rhyming slang. Sheen used 'car' as a code for gold. " The car is what it is mate, innit? The car is as good as money," the BBC quoted him as saying. Just two weeks after the theft, Sheen sold 20kg of gold for £520,000 ($707,200). He had a long criminal past, having been jailed at least six times since 2005. Sheen is already serving 19 years for other crimes and will now serve an extra four years for this heist. Jones, who has a criminal past, visited Blenheim Palace twice before the theft. On Sheen's order, he booked a slot to use the toilet, took photos and checked the layout. He later called the golden toilet 'splendid'. Judge Ian Pringle KC said Jones had helped plan the theft by mapping the fastest way in and out. Detective Superintendent Bruce Riddell called Sheen the mastermind, who wanted to 'make money by any means necessary'. "Jones also played a key part in the burglary, as he carried out two recces at Blenheim Palace in the days leading up to the burglary, and it is our belief that he also was there on the night," Riddell said.
NZ Herald
07-06-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
The Cockney accent is fading, but this dish is here to stay
Amid the gentrification of East London, Cockney shop sellers and advocates are trying to secure the future for this affordable staple. Photo / Peter Flude, The New York Times Shop owners in the UK are fighting to win government protection for pie and mash, a working-class meal with deep roots. One evening in February, Andy Green hosted a Zoom call that made history: it was the first meeting of pie-and-mash-shop owners from across Britain. The goal was to
Scottish Sun
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Rangers manager twist as highly-rated boss ‘turns down' Ibrox club and eyes job in England after shock exit
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RANGERS' hunt for their next permanent boss seems to be rumbling on, with no shortage of names linked with the role. And a new report from the continent has claimed that a highly-rated manager has turned down the chance to take over at Ibrox. Sign up for the Rangers newsletter Sign up 3 Rangers have reportedly been snubbed by a high-profile manager Credit: PA 3 Barry Ferguson has served as interim boss since Philippe Clement was sacked in February Credit: Getty 3 Ligue 1 manager Will Still was reportedly on Gers' radar Credit: AFP Will Still shot to fame over the last few years in the French Ligue 1, first with Reims and this season with Lens. The 32-year-old is the youngest manager in Europe's top five leagues, and went viral for his team talks delivered in fluent French and then equally impressive English with a strong Cockney accent. Still announced recently that he'd been leaving Lens at the end of the season and returning to the UK, where he studied at university, due to personal reasons. And a new report from French outlet L'Equipe says that the highly sought-after manager was on the radar of managerless Rangers. They said: "The coach has long dreamed of England, regardless of the level of competition. "He recently turned down Glasgow Rangers. "Southampton, who are relegated to the English second division, are interested in him, as are Hull. "He said: 'I haven't signed anything anywhere yet, even though there has always been interest.'" Still revealed that he intends to return to England after this season to be closer to his wife, who fell into a coma in March after suffering from infectious encephalitis. He said: "I will not be the coach of RC Lens next season. David Friel explains why Sean Dyche has what it takes to be the next Rangers manager "It was the last game of the season at [Lens' stadium] Bollaert [on Saturday], but it was also my last, for multiple reasons. "The main reason, which pushes me to make this decision, is the fact that I need to return home. "Everyone is well aware of what happened in my life, that's why. "The logical choice is that I am getting closer to my wife for her well-being." Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
NBC Sports
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
First look emerges of Nicholas Cage as John Madden (and Chrisian Bale as Al Davis)
When word emerged last year that Nicholas Cage will take a break from making a nonstop string of movies to play John Madden in yet another movie, it was a curiosity. We didn't know then what we know now. Christian Bale appears in the same film, as the legendary Al Davis. Cage has been in some things that, well, aren't good. Bale's work rarely lands in that category. The mere mention of Bale's name gives Madden cachet. Up the ying yang. (If you're never seen The Prestige, what are you waiting for? If you start now, you will have watched it twice by this time tomorrow.) Via Mike Fleming Jr. of production began this week. The first look at Cage as Madden and Bale as Davis is awesome. Others in the film include John Mulaney as EA founder Trip Hawkins, Kathryn Hahn as Virginia Madden, and Sienna Miller as Carol Davis. But it all comes back to Bale. Now that he is in, I'm all in. I'll consider it a bonus if they can lure Michael Caine out of retirement and get him to chain-smoke away his Cockney accent to play Pat Summerall.
