Slang (Part I) - Rhyming Slang

A couple of days ago I came across this news article:

"A cash machine operator has introduced Cockney rhyming slang to a number of its ATMs in east London.

People using Bank Machine's ATMs can opt to have their prompts and options given to them in rhyming slang.

As a result they will be asked to enter their Huckleberry Finn, rather than their Pin, and will have to select how much sausage and mash (cash) they want.

The rhyming slang prompts will be available from five cash machines in east London for three months.

Other rhyming slang prompts people can expect include a speckled hen (£10), while the machine may inform users that it is contacting their rattle and tank, rather than bank." (read the whole story and listen to locals' opinion here)

So, what is Cockney rhyming slang? This is a special encryption that makes it possible for the speakers to completely confuse outsiders. Instead of saying, for instance, "Let's go up the stairs" the user of rhyming slang would say "Let's go up the apples." This comes from 'apples and pears' where you drop the second (the actual rhyming) word. The exact origins of the phrase are unknown. Probably, the shape of the apple and pear stalls at the market reminded somebody of stairs. Despite the nice image, once you have dropped the rhyming part it gets really difficult to find out the meaning. (Note for foreign learners of English: The word 'pear' rhymes with 'stair' or 'wear' and not with 'hear'!)

My personal favourite is 'Dog and Bone' used for a telephone. The classical telephone's receiver really had a bone-like look to it and the 'dog' really seemed to be clinging onto it.














'Dog and Bone' (from here)

Sometimes, especially with longer words, the whole expression is used. So, if someone asks you: "Would you Adam and Eve this?" you should encode it as "Would you believe it?". Although this slang originated from the East End of London, some of the expressions have become quite widespread in other parts of Britain, too. For example, the expression 'use your loaf' comes from 'loaf of bread' ( which means 'head' in rhyming slang).

Do this quiz to check and improve your rhyming slang knowledge:

Cockney Rhyming Slang » Test maker

Happy Birthday Big Ben!

Big Ben (from here)

While the London Eye is the modern face of London, Big Ben remains to be the traditional icon of the city. In the olden days, whenever directors wanted to make it clear that a film was set in London they just put in a brief cut with the clock tower and there was no doubt about the location any more. (Well, occasionally a black cab or a double-decker bus is also added but it is a bit overdoing it, isn't it?) Strictly speaking, Big Ben is not the tower or the clock but the great bell in the clock tower. However, nowadays it is quite common to refer to all the three with the same name. The famous bell celebrated its 150th birthday last Saturday. Happy Birthday!

A very brief history: A fire destroyed most of the Palace of Westminster in 1834. A new clock tower was constructed between 1843 and 1859; this is the tower that we can see today. The clock started ticking in May 1859 and the great bell first chimed on 11 July of the same year. The nickname Big Ben was probably given to the bell after Sir Benjamin Hall, who supervised the installation of the bell and whose name is inscribed on it.

Do this short quiz about Big Ben to learn some more facts about it:

1. How tall is the clock tower?
a, 65 meters
b, 96 meters
c, 112 meters

2. How much does the Great Bell weigh in tonnes?
a, 6.9 tonnes
b, 10.2 tonnes
c, 13,7 tonnes

3. What is the length of the hour hands?
a, 1.4 meters
b, 2.7 meters
c, 4.2 meters

4. What is the length of the minute hands?
a, 1.4 meters
b, 2.7 meters
c, 4.2 meters

5. How many clock dials are there on the tower?
a, only 1
b, 2
c, 4

You can check your quiz results here.

If you would like more information about Big Ben go to the official site.
(Wanna listen to the chime of the clock at noon? Click here)

Below is a list of scenes that feature Big Ben. If you know about some others just let me know and I will add them. (If possible give the link to the scene)


The 39 Steps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoxmOdC6c5c

Peter Pan, Return to Neverland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7Dk4X2C13I

Doctor Who (the link below is for a video on how the scene was shot)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQNZO-OE8VU

Trainspotting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtWj6SUhYPk

The Great Mouse Detective
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzsm068R3RA

The London Eye

Have you been to London since the Millennium? If the answer is yes, then you must have seen the new landmark of the city, the huge observation wheel on the bank of the River Thames. With its height of 135 metres, the impressive structure is quite difficult to miss. Even if you haven't visited England's capital lately the sight of this giant wheel must be familiar from photos and postcards.

The London Eye, or simply - the Eye, was formally opened on 31 December 1999, but it was opened to the public only three months later. Since then, it has become a major landmark of the city and has been visited by millions of people. The Eye has 32 air-conditioned passenger capsules. On a clear day (you need to be lucky to have one of those in London:-) you can see for as far as 40 kilometres from the top of the wheel. The capsules are safe and although they look small from the ground they are spacious and heavy. Each capsule can carry 25 people and weighs 10 tonnes!


















Naturally, the capsules don't stand still, they slowly move along the circumference of the wheel as the wheel turns around. Each rotation takes about 30 minutes, which means that a capsule travels at 26cm per second, or 0.9km per hour - twice as fast as a tortoise sprinting. The wheel does not usually stop to take on passengers: the rotation rate is so slow that they can walk on and off the moving capsules at ground level. However, the wheel is stopped when disabled passengers get on and get off.


Trivia about the London Eye:

- Originally, the London Eye had only a temporary permission for 5 years but it was so successful that the permit was made permanent.

- You can reserve a capsule for your wedding or for your hen party or stag party.

- At the time of its construction and opening, The Eye was the tallest observation wheel in the world. Currently, this is the third tallest in the world. It has been surpassed in height by the Star of Nanchang (160 meters) and the Singapore Flyer (165 meters).

- A souvenir photograph of passengers in the capsule is taken automatically (also for security purposes).

- The Eye is owned by the Tussauds Group, the world's second largest leisure group, which also owns the famous Madame Tussauds waxworks among many other attractions.


Watch this video about the view that you can enjoy from the London Eye (Don't panic about your sound settings, this time there is no sound at all, just watch and relax) :




Do these exercises about the language content of this post.