What does custard mean in Cockney?

What does custard mean in Cockney?

“No one’s watching the custard” means “no one’s watching the TV.” “Custard and jelly” rhymes with “telly.”

What is Polari slang?

To avoid imprisonment, gay men used Polari, a language that the Oxford English Dictionary says is “made up of Italianate phrases, rhyming slang and cant terms.” It had sprung up in the 1700s and 1800s as a secret language vagrants, itinerant performers, sailors and “gypsies” – many of its words, in fact, derive from …

Is Polari still used?

Polari is a secret language, which has now largely fallen out of use, but was historically spoken by gay men and female impersonators.

What does Ferricadooza mean?

Meaning “a knock-down punch,” ferricadooza contains the suffix cadooza, which comes from the Italian caduca (to fall), while ferri might have its roots in the Latin for iron (ferrous).

Why is your bum called your Harris?

Aris is Cockney slang for Arse. In this case the phrase Bottle and Glass became rhyming slang for Artse . Then Bottle because Aristotle , which was finally shortened just to Aris .

What does Dicky mean in Cockney?

dicky (plural dickies) (colloquial) A louse. (Cockney rhyming slang) Dicky dirt = a shirt, meaning a shirt with a collar.

What does AJAX mean in Polari?

Some words or phrases that may derive from Polari (this is an incomplete list):

What is a cant word?

A cant is the jargon or language of a group, often employed to exclude or mislead people outside the group. It may also be called a cryptolect, argot, pseudo-language, anti-language or secret language. Each term differs slightly in meaning; their use is inconsistent.

Is Polari a pidgin?

Polari is, or was, a sort of gay Esperanto, a weird amalgam of Yiddish, Italian, Spanish, Occitan (a hybrid of Spanish and French), Cant (the secret language of thieves and outlaws), Romany, Cockney rhyming slang, backslang and, well, lingua franca (the old pidgin language of Mediterranean traders and seafarers).

Are you a friend of Dorothy?

In gay slang, a “friend of Dorothy” (FOD) is a gay man; and more broadly, any LGBTQ person. Stating that, or asking if someone was a friend of Dorothy was a furtive shibboleth used for discussing sexual orientation while avoiding hostility.

What does chavvy mean in Polari?

In Polari, ‘Chavvy’ means child. It comes from Romani (a lot of Polari did – one of its influence was a language used among travelling performers).

What is a bottle in Cockney slang?

In cockney rhyming slang, “bottle” means “arse” (bottle and glass). Originally, you would “lose your bottle” – i.e. be so scared as to lose control of your bowel function. This has been shortened down to just “bottle it”.