>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I notice not many ham shanks online today because of their treacherous holdiay.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Ham shanks?!?! That's a new one. I'm sure it's derogatory. <g>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>~~Bonnie
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I'd guess one of those cockney rhyming thingees for 'yanks'.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I keep saying - it's not just cockneys!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>But you're right.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>There isn't one for your lot, afaik. As you may know, you're not supposed to say the rhyming bit. eg they're all hams.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I suppose that would make you lot a load of "Tonkas"?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>See the thing is, over here in the civilised world, we find it simpler to say 'Brits' rather than 'Cherries', so the other person can figure out that we mean Cherry Pits which would make the person naturally assume we are referring to 'Sonny Stits' the sax player and might never realise that we really meant it to rhyme with Ritz crackers so that the person would think of tea and crackers which leads, of course, to 'Brits'.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Yea-but-no-but-yea-b' ... Huh?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>One thing - you often can use a famous person's name to rhyme with something, but not the other way round. So Cherry Pits couldn't represent Sonny Stits.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Example: The "Great White Hope", Joe Baxi, in Liverpool is s taxi. (Sugar dab for cab too).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Lilian Gish for fish.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I find it great fun, and quite civilised, to have the brain whirr into action to figure out a piece of rhyming slang I've never heard before. One I made up is "Stacey" for "the beach", for instance.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I suppose you could also call us the "epileptics" :-)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Oh, wait. I get it now. Brits. I tend to think seizures rather than fits. I'm beginning to realise that the major problem with rhyming slang is that it makes the conversing verrrry slow.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>Well it does over thousands of miles of ocean, over the internet, with a reply-gap and over a culture gap. In reality, once you're attuned to it, and have the context, it's quite fast, and many people "get" it anyway, or are used to the rhymes. It's a lot to do with word association. e.g. in a pub:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>Q: Where have you put the change from the last round?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>A: It's in my "sky".
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>Ok, I'll take a shot.
>>>>>>>>>>>>Pocket (rocket)
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>yes, now how fast did your brain make the word assoc. ?
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>Now where would one normally put the change? Many are well-known anyway. An old cockney expression:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>Q: How will I recognise ytou in the crowd?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>A: I'll be wearing a bright red "titfer" (as in "tit for tat")
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>Hat (tat).
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>Yes, again ...?
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>"He wasn't going fast enough so I gave him a kick up the 'khyber'"
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>Hmmm....
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>Well I guess this stems from the old colonial rule in India, when the British made forays into Afghanistan. The way was via the norther Khyber Pass. I'm surprised you haven't heard of it, what with all the activities going on in that blighted land.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>Oh, I knew the proper answer all right, but I didn't want to write it with dollar signs and I think it might be one of the words you can't say here in plain type. Oh, I just tried it in preview and it was ok. It's just that I always see it around here as A$$, and I didn't want to do that.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>Strange, as the word was created by puritanical founding fathers to avoid saying arse. Yet I can say arse with impunity but if I want to say Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of an "donkey" I can't.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>That brings up another point though, I guess you have to know your audience when you use rhyming slang. There are probably lots of people who would misconstrue, especially if they didn't realise you were using it, "Due to fear of cancer, they removed her Madam's."
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>Well you've got me there - not enough context to go on and I can't think of a common word-associative expression that goes with "Madam's"
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Further to my previous post, of course there shouldn't have been an apostrophe there either. Don't know what came over me. But then, you wouldn't hear the apostrophe in speech.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>lol I've just mentioned that in replying to your other message. Now, ln the Lois, you're getting the Lana of it, since the last message I Clark.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I super see how this could Harry an obsession.
>>>>>
>>>>>Hmmmm. One wouldn't go so far as to change the subordinate verb, eg "can", but the "see" yes
>>>>>
>>>>>So "I can Bruce ..."
>>>>
>>>>Ah, ok I chain I'm footballing on now.
>>>
>>>I think (link) I'm catching (match) on. Very inventive :-)
>>
>>Inventive maybe, but acceptable?
>
>Yeah, I'd accept that.

Ok, then so it's ok for me to add the 'ing' syllable and it's then your job to add it to the rhyme of the part without it. That's where I wasn't entirely sure it was acceptable.

>>>By Cheddar I chain you've got it! :-)
>
>As in the "Cheddar Gorge" in England (where cheddar cheese comes from).
>

Whoops, I translated it as "By jeez, I think you've got it!"

>>
>>>BTW "Stink" has always been "pen and"

>>>"Daisies" = boots (Daisy roots)
>>
>>Generally, that would only work on one of your countrymen. Although didn't the phrase "Daisy roots" come up in a song by Lonnie Donnegan somewhere?
>>
>
>Aye, in "My ole man's a dustman"
>
>
>>>"Dog an'" = phone
>>
>>This one I'm not sure of. I think of Dog and Pony - so Pony: Phone? Either this is a major stretch, or I'm missing the link.
>
>bone

Oh, I've never really heard "Dog and bone" as a 'phrase' before. Dog bone, sort of, but not Dog and bone. I'd have thought 'Soup' would have been a better choice.

>
>>
>>>"Hamstead" = teeth
>>>"Boat" = face
>>>"Barnet" = hair
>>
>>>The above generally ARE cockney
>>>
>>>There are many expressions that I believe Brits use when they don't even know they're using rhyming slang, such as:
>>>
>>>"Here, let me have a butcher's (look)"
>>>"I can't afford it - I'm brassic (lint -> "skint" = slang for "broke")
>>
>>I'm sure nobody outside England would understand that one. Brassic Lint?
>
>I believe it's like something you'd put on for muscular aches. Presumably from the brassica family of plants, such as cabbage.
>
>>
>>>"How are you, me old china (plate)?"
>>
>>>>
>>>>>e.g. a std. "I don't Adam and a word you Cassius"
>>>>
>>>>"I don't believe a word you say"? So you can rhyme only a small part of a word as long as it's at the end (the actual rhyming part)?
>>>
>>>It's best if you can rhyme the whole word, but just the last syllable or 2 will do.
>>>
>>>How about: "Ugh! some filthy animal has left a Richard on the floor" (think infamous English kings)
>>
>>Got it - III = turd.
>>
>>>Related words: "Pony (and)", "Eartha", "Turkish"
>
>"pony and trap"
>"Eartha Kit" (Surely you've heard of her?! - a jazz sonstress of old)
>"turkish delight"
>

Ok, yes. I see what you were telling me now. I thought you were saying there was a relationship between pony (and), eartha and turkish. And I couldn't see it.

>>
>>???
>>
>>>>>Now Harry? Potter? Trueman? - neither replaces "become". Give in!
>>>>
>>>>Gee, and I thought you were British. Do you remember the Goon Shows?
>>>
>>>Yes, just about: Eccles, Moriarty, Neddie, Bluebottle, ? No Harry that I know of (BTW there was a puppert version of that show, the "Tellygoons" when I was a kid but I never heard that mentioned in any reference to the Goonshow).
>>
>>The Goons were Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, Michael Bentyne (originally) and... TaDaa: Harry Secombe. After Michael Bentyne left, he was replaced by various other people (including even Eric Sykes).
>
>Oh yes, I'm WELL aware of who they all were.
>
>>
>>Harry Secombe was also a terrific singer. I figured even if you didn't know him as a goon, you'd have to know him as a singer.
>
>Indeed Sir Harry ("WHAT-WHAT-WHAT!") used to host a Sunday afternoon religious programme and sing songs therein, plus the theme tune "If I can help somebody.. " or some such "pony".
>
>>
>>Maybe I should have said "Sir Harry"?
>
>No, c'est ca!
>
>Trouble is, cos he's "old news" now, there are so many Harrys in the world (Windsor, for example) that are more "in the public eye" that old old codgers like us would get the allusion.
>
>Rhyming slang does evolve. For instance, there's a famous BBC Radio 1 DJ, Pete Tong, who's entered common parlance thus:
>
>Q. "How's the project going?"
>A. "Oh it's all gone Pete"
>
>In fact, there was even a 2004 film made with this as the title:
>
>http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=144691
>
>Note that, for the sake of uninitiated audiences they went and put the rhyme in, which spoils it.
>
>
>>
>>>>>You could call an otter a "harry"! "I love the book 'Ring of Bright Water' - all about Harries"