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Ronnie Barker has a reputation for being fluent and examples
can be heard from his mouth in re-runs of the TV series - "The two Ronnies",
"Porridge" and "Going Straight"
He is also the author of a book named "Fletcher's Book of Rhyming
Slang"
Published by Pan Books in 1979 - ISBN 0 330 25980 6
Adam and Eve, or Christmas Eve = Believe
Airs and graces = Braces
Almond rock = Sock, or Frock
Andy Cain = Rain
Apple fritter = Bitter
Apples and pears = Stairs
Aristotle = Bottle
Artful Dodger = Lodger
Ave Maria, or Obediah, or Jeremiah = Fire
(back to index)
Baa lamb = Tram
Ball of chalk = Walk
Barnet Fair = Hair
Basin of gravy = Baby
Bath bun = Son
Battle cruiser = Boozer
Battle of Waterloo = Stew
Beecham pill, or Jack and Jill = Bill
Bees and honey = Money
Beggar boy's ass = Bass
Big Ben, or Cock and hen = Ten
Bird lime = Time
Boat Race = Face
Bottle and Glass = (See "Khyber Pass")
Bo-peep = Sleep
Feather and flip = Kip
bottle & stopper = copper
Bottle of Kola = Bowler
Bottle of sauce = Horse
Bottle of Scotch, or Gordon and Gotch = Watch
Box of toys = Noise
Brass tacks = Facts
Bricks and mortar = Daughter
Brighton Pier = Queer
Brown bread = Dead
Bubble and squeak = Week
Bull and cow = Row (quarrel)
Bullock's horn = Pawn (in-pawn)
Burnt cinder = Window
Burton-on-Trent, or Duke of Kent = Rent
Bushel and peck = Neck
Butcher's hook = Look
(back to index)
Cain and Abel = Table
Canal boat = Tote
Cape of Good Hope = Soap
Cat and mouse = House
Cellarflap, or Star's nap = Tap (borrow, ask for a loan)
Chalk Farm = Arm
Charlie Prescot = Waistcoat
Cheese and kisses = Missis
Cheltenham Bold = Cold
Cherry Hog = Dog
Cherry ripe = Pipe
Chevy Chase = Face
China plate = Mate
Christmas Eve, or Adam and Eve = Believe
Clever Mike = Bike
Clothes peg = Egg
Coalheaver, or Kilkenny = Penny
Coals and coke, or Hearts of Oak = Broke
Coat and badge = Cadge
Cock and hen, or Big Ben = Ten
Cock linnet = Minute
Cock sparrow = Barrow
Currant bun = Sun
Currant cakey = Shaky
Cuts and scratches = Matches
(back to index)
Daft and barmy = Army
Daffy Down Dilly = Silly
Daisy roots = Boots
Darby Kelly = Belly
Darky Cox = Box
Day and night = Light (ale)
Day's dawning, or Gipsy's warning = Morning
Derry and Tom = Bomb
Dickey Dirt = Shirt
Dickory dock = Clock
Dicky bird, or Richard the Third = Word
Dig in the grave, or Ocean wave = Shave
Ding dong = Song
Dome good = Wood
Dog and bone = Phone
Donald Duck = Luck
Down the drains = Brains
Duchess of Fife = wife
Duck and dive = Hide
Duke of Kent, or Burton*-o*n*-Trent = Rent
Dunlop tyre, or Holy friar = Liar
Dustbin Lid, or Teapot Lid, or God forbid = Kid (child!)
(back to index)
Early doors = Drawers (pair of)
Early hour = Flower
Eighteen pence = Sense
Elephant's trunk = Drunk
Engineers and stokers = Brokers
Ernie Marsh = Grass
(back to index)
Fanny Craddock = Haddock
Feather and flip, or Bo-peep = Sleep (kip)
Finger and thumb = Rum
Fisherman's daughter = Water
Five to two, or Four by two = Jew
Flowery dell = Cell
Fly-by-nights = Tights
Forsyte Saga = Lager
Frog and toad = Road
(back to index)
Gates of Rome = Home
Gay and frisky = Whisky
German band, or Brass band, or St Martin's-Le-Grand = Hand
Gertie Gitana = Banana
Ginger Beer = queer
Gipsy's warning, or Day's dawning = Morning
God forbid, or Teapot lid or Dustbin Lid = Child (kid)
Gold watch = Scotch
Gooseberry puddin' = Wife (woman)
Gordon and Gotch, or Bottle of Scotch = Watch
Greengages, or Rock of Ages = Wages
Grey mare = Fare
(back to index)
Hackney Marsh, or Khyber Pass = Glass
watch out for the double meaning "up the Khyber"
Half an Oxford scholar = Half a dollar
Half-inch = Pinch (steal)
Ham and eggs = Legs
Hampstead Heath = Teeth
Harry Randall = Candle
Harry Tate (in a ~) = Bit of a state
Harry Tate (fetch some ~) = Sugar, after Tate and Lyle
Harvey Nichol = Pickle
Heap of coke = Bloke
Hearts of Oak, or Coals and coke = Broke
watch out for the double meaning "up the Khyber"
Laugh = Bath (" larf" rhymes wiv "barf")
Hedge and ditch = Pitch (stall or stand)
Hey diddle diddle = Fiddle
Hobson's choice = Voice
Holloa boys holloa = Collar
Holy friar, or Dunlop tyre = Liar
Holy Ghost = Toast
Hot potato = Waiter
House to let = Bet
Housemaid's knee = Sea
How d'you do = Shoe
(back to index)
I suppose = Nose
I'm afloat = Overcoat
In and out, or Salmon trout = Gout
In the nude = Food
Insects and ants = Pants
Irish jig or Syrup of Fig = Wig
Iron hoof = Poof
Iron horse = Toss
(back to index)
Jack and Jill, or Beecham pill = Bill
Jack Jones, or Tod Sloan, or Pat Malone = Own (alone)
Jack the Dandy = Brandy
Jack the Ripper = Kipper
Jack's alive = Five
Jam jar = Car
Jam tart, or Raspberry tart = Heart (!)
Jenny Lee = Flea, or Key
Jeremiah, or Ave Maria, or Obediah = Fire
Jimmy O'Goblin = Sovereign
Jim Skinner = Dinner
Joanna = Piano
Joe Hook = Book
Joe Rook = Crook
John Hop = Cop (policeman)
Johnnie Horner = Corner
Johnnie Rutter, or Mutter and stutter = Butter
Jumping jack = Back
(back to index)
Khyber Pass, or Hackney Marsh = Glass
watch out for the double meaning "up the Khyber"
Kilkenny, or Coalheaver (from giver) = Penny
King Death = Breath
King Lear = Ear
(back to index)
Lah-di-dah = Star
Lady Godiva = Fiver
Left in the lurch = Church
Lemon squeezer = Geezer
Light and dark = Park
Lillian Gish = Fish
Linen draper = Paper
Lionel Bart = Tart
Lion's lair = Chair
Loaf of bread, or Uncle Ned, or Lump of lead = Head
Lollipop = Shop
Longers and lingers = Fingers
Loop the loop = Soup
Lord of the manor, or Tartan banner = Tanner (sixpence)
Lord Mayor = Swear
Lump of lead, or Uncle Ned, or Loaf of bread = Head
(back to index)
Macaroni = Pony (25 sovs, 26pounds25, or animal)
Major Loda = Soda
Major Stevens = Evens (betting)
Me and you = Menu
Merryheart = Tart (sweetheart)
Mince pie = Eye
Molly O'Morgan = Organ
Mortar and trowel = Towel
Mother Hubbard = Cupboard
Mother of pearl = Girl
Mrs Chant = Aunt
Mrs Duckett = Bucket
Mutter and stutter, or Johnnie Rutter = Butter
(back to index)
Ned Kelly = Telly
Needle and pin = Gin
Newgate Gaol = Tale
Newington Butts = Guts
North and south = Mouth
(back to index)
Obediah, or Ave Maria, or Jeremiah = Fire
Ocean wave, or Dig in the grave = Shave
Oedipus Rex = Sex
Oily rag = Fag
Once a week = Cheek
One and t'other = Brother
Oscar Asche = Cash
Oxford scholar = Dollar
Oxo cube = Tube (underground railway)
(back to index)
Pat Malone, or Jack Jones, or Tod Sloan = Own (alone)
Parrafin Lamp = Tramp
Peas in the pot = Hot
Peckham Rye = Tie
Pen and ink = Stink
Penny a pound = Ground
Piccadilly Percy = Mercy
Pig's ear = Beer
Pipe your eye = Cry
Plates and dishes = Missis
Plates of meat = Feet
Pocket Watch = Scotch (whiskey)
Pork pies = lies
Pot and pan = Man
Potatoes in the mould, or Cheltenham Bold = Cold
Pots and dishes = Wishes
Pull down the shutter, or Mutter and stutter, etc = Butter
(back to index)
Quaker oat = Coat
(back to index)
Rabbit and pork = Talk
Raspberry tart, or Jam tart = Heart
Rat and mouse = House
Rats and mice = Dice
Read and write = Fight
Reels of cotton = Rotten
Rhubarb pill = Hill
Richard the Third = Word, or Bird
River Ouse = Booze
Rob Roy, or San Toy = Boy
Robin Hood = Good
Robinson Crusoe = Do so
Robinson and Cleaver = Fever
Rock of Ages, or Greengages = Wages
Rocking horse = Sauce
Rory O'More = Door
Rosy Lee, or You and me = Tea
Round the houses = Trousers
Rub-a-dub = Pub (or Club)
(back to index)
St Martin's-Le-Grand, or Brass band, or German band = Hand
Salmon trout, or In and out = Gout
San Toy, or Rob Roy = Boy
Saucepan lid = Quid
Scotch peg = Egg
Sexton Blake = Cake
Shepherd's plaid, or Sorry and sad = Bad
Sherman tanks = Yanks
Sinbad the Sailor = Tailor
Skein of thread or Uncle Ned = Bed
Skin and blister = Sister
Sky rocket = Pocket
Sorry and sad, or Shepherd's plaid = Bad
Soup and gravy = Navy
Stand at ease = Cheese
Star's nap, or Cellarflap = Tap (borrow)
Steam tug = Mug (fool)
Stewed prune = Tune
Sticky toffee = Coffee
Stop thief = Beef
Sugar candy = Handy
Surrey Docks = Pox
Syrup of Fig or Irish Jig = Wig
(back to index)
Tartan banner, or Lord of the manor = Tanner
Tea leaf = Thief
Teapot lid, or Dustbin Lid God forbid = Kid (child)
Tea, two, and a bloater = Motor
Thomas Tilling = Shilling
Tin tack = Sack
Tin tank = Bank
Tit for tat = Hat
Tit willow = Pillow
Tod Sloan, or Jack Jones, or Pat Malone = Own (alone)
Tom and Dick = Sick
Tommy Tucker = Supper
Tom Silk = Milk
Touch me on the knob = Bob (shilling)
Trouble and strife = Wife
Tumble down the sink = Drink
Turtle doves = Gloves
twist & twirl = girl
Two-thirty = Dirty
Typewriter = Fighter
(back to index)
Uncle Fred = Bread
* Uncle Ned, or Loaf of bread, or Lump
of lead = Head
* Uncle Ned = Bed
* two variations that
may give trouble!
Uncle Willy = Silly
(back to index)
Westminster Abbey = Shabby
Whistle and flute = Suit
(back to index)
You and me, or Rosy Lee = Tea
(back to index)
