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  • Re: Rhyming slang

    From occam@occam@nowhere.nix to alt.usage.english on Fri May 8 18:29:17 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    On 30/04/2026 11:50, Steve Hayes wrote:
    I lived half my life without knowing that the friendly greeting "My
    china" originated from rhyming slang. Likewise the saying that any
    small item that disappeared "went for a ball of chalk". They were just
    things that people said.


    More commonly known as Cockney Rhyming slang, its the source of many a
    puzzling expression for non-Cockneys.

    I wonder how Cockney expressions made their way to SA?

    https://cockneyrhymingslang.co.uk/slang-letter/page/2/?letter=b
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  • From Steve Hayes@hayesstw@telkomsa.net to alt.usage.english on Sun May 10 04:19:59 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    On Fri, 8 May 2026 18:29:17 +0200, occam <occam@nowhere.nix> wrote:

    On 30/04/2026 11:50, Steve Hayes wrote:
    I lived half my life without knowing that the friendly greeting "My
    china" originated from rhyming slang. Likewise the saying that any
    small item that disappeared "went for a ball of chalk". They were just
    things that people said.


    More commonly known as Cockney Rhyming slang, its the source of many a >puzzling expression for non-Cockneys.

    I wonder how Cockney expressions made their way to SA?

    Several seem to have done so, but for a long time I had no idea of
    their origin. I thought "My china" was a peculiarly South African
    expression.
    --
    Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
    Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
    Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
    E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Sam Plusnet@not@home.com to alt.usage.english on Sun May 10 19:47:59 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    On 10/05/2026 03:19, Steve Hayes wrote:
    On Fri, 8 May 2026 18:29:17 +0200, occam <occam@nowhere.nix> wrote:

    On 30/04/2026 11:50, Steve Hayes wrote:
    I lived half my life without knowing that the friendly greeting "My
    china" originated from rhyming slang. Likewise the saying that any
    small item that disappeared "went for a ball of chalk". They were just
    things that people said.


    More commonly known as Cockney Rhyming slang, its the source of many a
    puzzling expression for non-Cockneys.

    I wonder how Cockney expressions made their way to SA?

    Several seem to have done so, but for a long time I had no idea of
    their origin. I thought "My china" was a peculiarly South African
    expression.


    Sid James came from South Africa and usually played a cockney character
    in films and on TV, so it works both ways.
    --
    Sam Plusnet
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2