London slang

London slang is slang that is used in London. It comprises a vast gamut of words and phrases. Some, albeit far from all, London slang words and phrases fall specifically under the umbrella of Cockney rhyming slang. Some of the words and phrases have been imported from other cultures that have immigrated to London, such as Jamaican patois.

One problem with identifying what is London slang is that the dominant cultural position that London has within the United Kingdom causes London slang to be exported to the rest of the U.K., leading to London slang becoming general United Kingdom English slang.

Contents 1 Sources of London slang 2 British Airways' list of London slang words and phrases 3 References 4 See also 5 External links

Sources of London slang

London slang is a mixture from many sources, reflecting the diverse cultural makeup of the city's population.

In 21st century South London, Jamaican patois is the source of words such as "dat" and "dere".

Many London slang words and phrases are believed to have been imported from Indian languages by servicemen in the 19th century. London slang words for money such as "monkey" (£500) and "pony" (£25) are believed to have come from the Indian rupee banknote, which features pictures of such animals.

Another money slang word, "nicker" (£1) is hypothesised to be connected to the U.S. "nickel". Conversely, "wonga" is believed to have come from Romany.

British Airways' list of London slang words and phrases

In 2005, British Airways launched an advertising campaign in the United States, purporting to teach people approximately 60 (of what it deemed to be) "London slang" words such as "peckish" and "snog". A feature of the campaign was that slang words were listed on the British Airways web site, along with links to an "Insider's guide to London", the URLs for which people were encouraged to send to one another via electronic mail or SMS. Another feature was that it was context-sensitive. The word "queue" was used on an advertisement on a bus shelter, for example, explaining how people "queue for a bus".

"Queue" is not considered to be a slang word in United Kingdom English, however, and several other of British Airways' other purported "London slang" words are considered to be either general United Kingdom English slang words or simply not slang words at all, merely differences between United Kingdom English and United States English. Other words and phrases in the British Airways list of London slang were:

• "naff"
• "loo"
• "lift"
• the "blower"
• the "bin"
• "cheers!"
• "chuffed"
• "half-four"
• "kip"
• "laughing gear"
• "readies"
• "shout"
• "nang"

References

• "London slang". . URL accessed on July 22, 2005.
• “British Airways Campaign Teaches London Slang”, ClickZ, 2005-05-05.
• “Don't Be "Naff" -- Learn To Use "Chuffed," "Laughing Gear" "Half Four" and Dozens of Other British Slang Words Before Your London Holiday”, PR Newswire, 2005-05-04.
• “'Yo bro, nice bling, innit'”, South London Press, 2004-07-09.
• "money slang history". . URL accessed on July 25, 2005.
• "London slang". FF5 Worldbook. URL accessed on July 25, 2005.

See also

• Some places in London with slang names:
  • "The Gherkin"
  • "The old lady of Threadneedle Street"
• London slang in popular culture
  • Minder — a television series named with the London slang for a bodyguard
  • The Sweeney — a television series named with the London slang (specifically Cockney rhyming slang) for the Flying Squad (Sweeney Todd → Flying Squad)
  • The Bill — a television series named with the London slang for the Metropolitan Police Service
• Some things with London slang names:
  • "The Addicks" — a football club nicknamed with the London slang for haddock

External links

• The British Airways slang page for "queue"