The Wang is coming out tonight ", Yikes! Example: We've been best pals since schooldays. http://www.rachellaudan.com/2008/12/what-do-we-really-know-about-the-history-of-the-wok.html. And in I have to take a pony Around 2005, I think, this place actually existed for several months at the address given. You are now subscribed. -I think I mightve given her a diamond ring. In. Historically, of course, the guo would have meant something more specific, and I would say that the main difference there from the quintessential wok is that the latter has a rounded bottom that curves upward from a point in the center, whereas a typical guo has a flat bottom and straight sides. ", it means "big trouble", so is "correcting a mistake" an extremely common phrase. For example, the phrase use your loaf meaning "use your head"is derived from the rhyming phrase loaf of bread. Average 3. Compare the very interesting post and discussion here: "What Do We Really Know about the History of the Wok?" Also, in HK slang, if you hear people say ! What's the origin of the phrase 'My old china'? Superficially, calling it "rhyming" slang can be misleading because the end result does not necessarily rhyme. My first exposure to Chinese restaurants, and Chinese businesses in general, not to mention Chinese home cooking, is San Francisco, during a time when the Chinese there mostly spoke Cantonese, not Mandarin. If Cockney Rhyming slang has you scratching your head with confusing then this lesson is really going to help you understand and even speak Cockney Slang! But in English it's the Apollo Chinese Restaurant. That's T-R-I-N-D-E-R, pronounced Chumley. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page. Cream crackered - Knackered 'I'm cream crackered' is often said after a long day, and now I'm writing it down it seems pretty silly but you're bound to hear it in London all the same. is rarely used in spoken Cantonese in HK. Traders, factory workers, and even thieves are believed to have started it as a way to communicate without the police, their customers, and their bosses understanding what was going on. ), Bathrobe: "Apart from Cantonese speakers, Chinese people are usually surprised to know that the English word for / (Mandarin gu) is 'wok'.". Canz, was the best I could come up with for dn z , or as Mark said, balls (though technically, literally eggs). 2. This comes from cockney rhyming slang - a cup of Rosy Lee - tea. There are several theories on why Cockney slang was developed. Apples and pears, dog and bone, china plate. Incidentally, the characters used to write "wok" / HUO4 and GUO1 both have metal radicals, so from ancient times they must have been made of metal. The Cockney Code Uncovered! In cockney rhyming slang, 'me old china' means a really good friend. I was hoping this would turn out to be some kind of mixed-up interpretation of the "Ye Olde" shop-sign trope (which is, of course, itself a mixed-up interpretation of "e Olde"). I've no idea what this might mean in any sinitic language, but it always seemed an odd choice of name to English ears. These are two different words for two different types of cooking implements. Check out the full list of cockney rhyming slang phrases below A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y How about these old man = lobn ( ) = boss In Malaysia it is called a kuali (small wok) or kawa (big wok). Wang is a slang term for penis, used primarily in North America,UK and Sydney Australia. I'll buy you a beer (pig's ear) and you can talk (rabbit and pork) about your kids (teapot lids). In South Africa, My China means a friend/mate. (CSB: Goddammit, that bastard President Bush Jr. refused me permission to land at Seattle! Cockney rhyming slang is a form of English slang which originated in the East End of London . Although I suspect the "language police" in the mainland might one day eventually "standardize" by calling it . Yeah, tell me about it Bob, Shes got more chins than a Chinese phone book! arthur rank, my old china, pork pies, and crimbo This example of Cockney rhyming slang is just one in a hilarious exchange in the third Austin Powers installment, Goldmember . It's always great to spend time with my old china plate. Truncated Cockney . Kilroy Silk. China = china plate = mate. Rhyming slang Average 6. What does me old fruit mean? Cockneys interchange the use of me and my especially in this classic welcoming sentence. : Britain. My feeling is that anyone who uses 'wok' in a name is more likely not to be a native Chinese speaker. If you're going to pinch my image off Flickr and not ask my permission can you at least add a link to the Flickr page? Some terms are more simple single word rhymes. The reason is that "wok" is very much a part of spoken Cantonese and English (borrowed from spoken Cantonese), but the character for writing it is not well known, certainly not by Mandarin speakers, who when pressed to come up with a character for writing it are apt erroneously to choose the graph gu / . I grew up hearing and using a lot of Cockney rhyming slang. I have my own theory about this reluctance to provide a Chinese equivalent, but put it as a question to Language Log readers why this is so. Good! This means that even the (for Americans totally mystifying) "Cockney rhyming slang" is not foreign to Aussies. Answer (1 of 3): It's a London cockney slang word that means "mate", it rhymes. My Old China - Cockney Rhyming Slang - My Old China - Cockney Slang - British English Pronunciation. I might be going out on a limb, but this might be another reason why Chinese restaurants don't tend to use the word "" in their Chinese names (if they have one) even if they use "wok" in their English names. It's time to delve into the world of Cockney rhyming slang, my old China. So my tentative theory is that a restaurant using 'wok' in the name is likely to have been founded by non-Chinese who love the idea of having 'wok' in the English name and don't really care about having a Chinese name. (I don't live there anymore so I don't know if there has been a demographic change along those lines) So it's not surprising to me that the word "wok" is a Cantonese name, and I'm sort of puzzled as to why that fact makes it likely that the people who are using the word must therefore not be Chinese. Usually Thai restaurants are known for imaginative names, not so Chinese restaurants. Im guessing snow is jiu and Snow is also a Chinese beer (one of my favorites). Xiao Bush zongtong, neige wangbadan, burang wo de feiji zai Seattle jiangluo! Girl: 748 (Go die), 5. Marks got it. @Vasha: Apollo is Phoebus, the god of light. Id like a donut and a fat cow, please. Contact us online or via phone +44 (0) 207 605 4142. 3. da feiji The following is a list of well-known (to Londoners) examples of Cockney rhyming slang. friend. Fine china is made from kaolin, a type of white clay. Cockney is an accent and dialect of English, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by working-class and lower middle-class Londoners. 4.748 Canz This is why it is , not . Dont be alarmed if a Londoner tells you to go up the apples and pears they havent lost their mind or grasp of the English language, theyre just talking about going up stairs. The original Mandarin Chinese for this is Zhan pianyi (stand cheap) with the victim pronoun appearing between the words. There's a Chinese restaurant near us punningly named 'Wok and Roll', but with a Chinese name (Cantonese sik6 san4, "God of Cookery"). Whether the owner initially thought of the very prosaic Xndngfng (New East / Orient) and then devised "Me Old China" as an inspired translation, or first came up with the clever Cockney "Me Old China" and then rendered that into its rough Chinese counterpoint is moot, though I suspect that they were so taken by the colorful Cockneyism that they latched onto it as their main moniker, printing it larger and directly over the main entrance, and then arrived at the relatively lame Xndngfng (New East / Orient) almost as an afterthought. Cockney rhyming slang is a form of English jargon that originated in the East End of London. August 30, 2005 Get the me old china mug. , simpl. Off the top of my head, and being a bit sleepy already, I cant figure out the other two though. Cockney rhyming slang is still used today with some phrases in common usage all around the UK. meaning "How is it going my friend?" It is not intended to be comprehensive. What does my fine china mean? Unbelievable., 2. It is (zhungyun lu), zhungyun being the student scoring best on examinations. Up until the late 20th Century, rhyming slang was also common in Australian slang, probably due to the . Pony is an abbreviation for Pony and trap Cockney rhyming slang. The high and dry busts my canz whenever I sit around checking out knockers on the net. losing a passport. Any theories? Translation: virus. One thing we need to do right away is distinguish between (Mandarin gu) and (Cantonese wok6). I say it less often since the time I acknowledged the waiter with "Thanks, China" he was ethnic Chinese, in a Chinese restaurant. All right, folks, more stuff is coming out. In fiction there's Anthony Powell's 'Casanova's Chinese Restaurant', but the novel does not attempt to suggest what its name might be in Chinese. Jackie Chan. . Many terms are based on popular culture, and so the table is constantly updated according to changing fashions. Welcome to my Complete Dictionary of Cockney Rhyming Slang! Ching: 5 : Chipmunks: Trunks : Chips & Peas: Knees : Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: Cockney Rhyming Slang: We're talking about chitty chitty on this web site. Is a person only Chinese if they speak Mandarin at home? Chinese slang for being cheated on Butcher's Hook = look Go on, let me have a Butcher's Hook. I'll stand you a pig and you can rabbit on about your teapots. And this is a core rule of Cockney Rhyming Slang: If the phrase is truncated, it will be truncated to the non-rhyming part. Sometimes it seems the naming process went awry. Although not as widely heard in London as it once was, Cockney rhyming slang remains an intrinsic part of the city's character. Milk. Cockney rhyming slang developed in the Nineteenth Century as a secret way for people to communicate with each other, and was thus used mainly by people who had something to hide, such as thieves and smugglers. and are certainly not the same thing. To me (I'm approx a thousand years old) a Tommy is a window. Confused? I figure adding "wok" is a way of comforting English speakers that the place serves home-made Chinese food or somesuch. The final word of the substitute phrase rhymes with the word it replaces, for example, the cockney rhyming slang for the word 'look' is 'butcher's hook'. If Im not home soon, Im in a lot of Barney.. In English. So it has a Chinese equivalent, but the play on "wok" is lost. is for stir frying and for slow cooking like . I imagine that canz stands for balls but my language skillz dont extend that far. As in I had a few to many cups of snow last night. Hmmm.. lets give er a go. It's a small world (wide web) sometimes! One of the Chinese food trucks that has parked outside the University of Toronto library for many decades is called "Wokking on Wheels," and in Chinese is [Golden Wheel(s)]. There are also lots of Chinese restaurants whose names comprise "wok", e.g., "O'Wok", "Wok nTalk", "Wok 'n Roll", and just "Wok". The OED doesn't agree with the Cockney Rhyming Slang Dictionary on "tommy". More Cockney Rhyming Slang Easier 2. Whistle is an abbreviation of Whistle and Flute which of coruse rhymes with Fancy Suit. Billy Ray Cyrus. Loadsa bees an hunay as a true Londoner would pronounce it basically means lots of money. To add to Bruce Rusk's point, I am aware of at least two restaurants I frequently visited that had "wok" in the English name but no such concept in the Chinese name. In our area (Central Coast) the staff of a Chinese restaurant is likely to be largely Hispanic, but most of the restaurants still seem to be owned by Chinese, whether or not they have "wok" in the name. Literally means hit plane, although the lack of articles in Mandarin Chinese may cause some confusion. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. I took it as a pun on Dynasty, but somebody else pointed out the two words DinerSty. Zuotian wanshang ta gei wo da guo liangci feiji, hai you gei wo koujiao. To make . Steven has recently embraced the cathartic nature of blogging and twittering in place of talking to himself on public transport, religion, and daydreaming. What would it be? or "how ya doin'?". Mate(s); Cockney Rhyming slang; shortened form of China Plates get it? Signum International AG 2022. Is the Chinese name different and/or of interest? We also offer bespoke business solutions for staff training and assessment. Last night she jerked me off twice, and then gave me head. Born East London in 1840's, it was thought to have been used by street sellers and market tradesman. It's curious that these restaurants usually don't have corresponding Chinese names, just the English. High and dry is tai tai but I cant figure out what canz stands for. That Ruby's pretty Oscar Wilde. My Old China - Cockney Rhyming Slang - My Old China - Cockney Slang - British English Pronunciation. In Ann Arbor there's a Chinese restaurant called Dinersty. Yes, cockney rhyming slang is a foreign language to most people, so I thought I'd let you in on the secret and help non-cockneys translate some of our favourite London sayings. I will catch up on some reading and will join in soon. Let me explain: Cockney slang is a collection of rhyming phrases that Cockneys aka London locals use. There are as many as 150 terms that are recognized instantly by any rhyming slang user. Its used to express disbelief or a flat out refusal to do something. What does China plate mean in slang? Wu nian qian, ta zhiyao da feiji liangci, jiu neng yinqi Meiguo-Afuhan dazhan. The Cantonese pronunciation of is wo1 and is wok6. Great stuff Steven. My. In Japan the wok is called a chukanabe (literally, "Chinese pot" or ""). Fine china is made from kaolin, a type of white clay. "My China" is the cockney rhyming slang for "China plate" (meaning "my mate"). ", "Whats the History of the Wok? Florida is bigger than England. apologies in advance to everyone who knows me outside the realm of blogs, but expect Jackie Chan to make it into my regular conversations from here on out. The Cockney accent is local to the East End of London, which is historically a more working-class area of the city. @Vasha: The English name is also a trisyllable that ends in the same syllable as the Chinese name, and has generally good associations. When people use "guo" to refer to a wok, it's because they don't know that the Mandarin pronunciation of wok *should* be HUO4, so they just sloppily borrow GUO1 for wok. Cockney rhyming slang may have been around since the 16th century, but it really came to life in the 1840s among market traders and street hawkers. In Indonesia the wok is known as a penggorengan or wajan. Ive got few to share also..:) Similarly a hunk of grey bread distributed at Minto House, as part of a Hogmanay gift to the village children, used to be called Tam Gray.". Individually wrapped for freshness. David Moser: In authentic rhyming slang the whole phrase is not used, me old Berk. While the boundaries of the East End are a bit hazy, there is one theory that to identify as Cockney, you have to be "born within the sound of Bow Bells." This refers to the bells inside the church of St. Mary-le-Bow. There's a chain of Chinese fast food outlets in mall food courts around Canada and the US called Manchu Wok. I'm glad you realize that I linked to Flickr, both to your photograph there and to the huge collection of Chinese restaurant signs of which it is a part. personified as Tommy Brown, altered to brown tommy and tommy. A fitting place for brilliant students to congregate. Its time to delve into the world of Cockney rhyming slang, my old China. Sometimes we love it, sometimes we hate it -- but never does this country fail to captivate us. , simpl. The word porcelain derives from the Latin . I simply never encountered the word "wok" in English when I lived in Hong Kong. It is especially prevalent in the UK, Ireland and Australia. It originated from in the East End of London and was created to conceal what they were saying in public. )' Holla! So, in that spirit of playfulness, I present to you a dozen examples of my newly-created Chinese-Cockney rhyming slang. Originating in London's East End in the mid-19th century, Cockney rhyming slang uses substitute words, usually two, as a coded alternative for another word. old china noun 1. : a moderate blue that is greener and duller than average copen or Dresden blue and redder and less strong than azurite blue 2. : a grayish blue that is redder and paler than electric, less strong and slightly redder than copenhagen, and Useful english dictionary China, Texas City Location of China, Texas Wikipedia Its rhyming patterns can make fun of even the most boring situations. My Old Dutch: A Cockney Song. Cockney rhyming slang is a type of British slang that dates back to the 19th century, but many of these expressions started appearing during and after WWII. The one example that sticks in mind had an English name of 'Golden China' or some such, while the Chinese name simply said 'Superior Eating Place.'. I looked around their website and couldn't find an official Chinese name, though the Chinese media in Canada calls the chain "" (a literal translation of "Manchu Wok"), and the Chinese Wikipedia article for the chain is also found under that name. Cockney Rhyming Slang: Origin Story Cockney insults display a level of shrewdness that's difficult to rival. As I noted in one of my previous comments to the thread, it's not surprising that we have two or more different words for pots and pans, since they probably come from different linguistic and cultural (culinary) backgrounds. Otherwise known as Go Die. (pinyin: hu) or trad. Thats why I never get the diamond ring, cuz I stay at home looking at knockers and let the chicken wings have a nice try. Sogo is owned by Taiwanese and claims to serve Japanese shabu-shabu (hotpot), but it, too, has primarily Sichuan food. Zhende meixiangdao!, Translation: That singsong girl is amazing! Gotta av a drop'a Kilroy on me Cornflakes. Correct me if Im wrong Steven, but doesnt good rhyme and slang also have the same rhythm, and dont they usualyl drop the word that actually rhymes? 1. stand them cheap It can also mean a plate from a set of "China" which is another way to say dinnerware. me old china Cockney rhyming slang when refering to a mate, as in plate, china plate, mate. More idioms about: country cockney_rhyming_slang However, the non-rhyming words are truncated from phrases that do rhyme. EF's GO blog offers the latest on travel, languages, culture, international careers and student life. The majority of Cockney rhyming slang terms are formed using two distinct words with the second word being the rhyming word - for example 'butcher's hook' which means 'look.'. 1 What is Cockney Rhyming Slang? Sure, that would be nice if you take a photo of the other part of the sign. Here are some of the most well-known Cockney Rhyming Slang phrases: Butcher's (hook) = a look 'Let's have a butcher's!' Porkies/pork pies = lies 'Who's been telling porkies then?' Old China (plate) = a mate (friend/pal) 'Alright my old china?' A giraffe = a laugh 'You're having a giraffe, aren't you?' (you're not serious are you? But who today has heard of the top comedian of my youth Tommy Trinder? Does anybody else see any problem with that? Yes, I (or my legal guardian) have read and understood how EF processes my personal data as set out in the Privacy Policy, and agree to EF's use of my personal data for direct marketing purposes. There will be no porkies here just a straightforward guide to keep you out of Barney on your next trip to London. He is unwilling to risk our bilateral trade summit meeting. Dutch: In cockney rhyming slang "Duchess of Fife" = "wife," and therefore "Dutch" is a shortening of "Duchess of Fife." According to Dave Russell, who explains how Chevalier performed the song on stage, . For example, one restaurant is called "Yea's Wok," but the Chinese name literally means "Yie Family's Place/Garden." "We don't use the Mandarin word 'guo' in Cantonese, so the pronunciation is irrelevant. All rights reserved. There are enough illustrations and English terms / explanations in them that readers who don't know Chinese should be able to gain some useful information from these sources. We can 'ave some loop and tommy and be off before the dickory hits twelve. Cockneys took a shine to his name, and now you can announce your levels of hunger by including Hank, Marvin, or Hank Marvin in a sentence. Likewise, somebody who makes friends with you just to be around your friends is also standing you cheap. Taiwanese president Chen Shui Bian: TMD! @Bruce Rusk given that this is in Canada (hence generally cot-caught merged), is it intended as pun on "walking"? In Cape Town there is a large Chinese restaurant (perhaps best known for its Vegas-esque lighting at night) called "Sea Palace". -I need to call that girl I picked up at the Dairy Queen last week. 3. wears a green hat This is one of the most common phrases, and its spoken across the UK. In the Philippines it is known as a kawali and also called a wadjang. China plate for mate But really only used in the phrase: "Hello, me old china." Titfer As in "tit for tat" - means hat Whistle Means a suit, from "whistle and flute". The meaning of "my old china" " My old china " Meaning: Cockney rhyming slang for mate. You'll hear from us soon! Sure enough the chain serves the typical Westernized Chinese fare like sweet and sour pork and honey garlic chicken, and I'm not aware they've ever served anything that's actually Manchurian. A husband is often referred to as 'my old man' as in 'My old man/ said follow the van/ and don't dilly-dally on the way', an old music hall song. Di loves the Wang. If you ask for a in HK, people will ask you to clarify what you meant. In cockney rhyming slang, the speaker will replace a word with a phrase that rhymes. "So my tentative theory is that a restaurant using 'wok' in the name is likely to have been founded by non-Chinese who love the idea of having 'wok' in the English name and don't really care about having a Chinese name.". Hmmm. Now I've got to get back in touch with them and correct the mistake which in cockney rhyming slang perhaps makes me a silly "Berkshire hunt. (For locals, this is the Windsor Green strip mall on Route 1 near Princeton: Whole Foods, Staples, Marshalls. Noun. Program for the . The word porcelain derives from the Latin . Cockney rhyming slang: " China plate " rhymes with "mate". Where did the term cockney rhyming slang come from? It began in the East End of London during the middle of the 19th century. List of Cockney rhyming slang in common use . Favourite rhyming slang is "septic" or "seppo", apparently coined during WWII, short for "septic tank", rhyming with "Yank". These slang expressions usually combine two or three words, with the last word of the expression rhyming with the word the expression stands for. Hello, I just joined and I am looking forward to participating as my sister has been battling a serious weight problem her entire life and I have seen first hand the effects this battle can have on a person. Did or specify what type of pot was used in ancient times for salt boiling? It requires three layers of meaning, so it's not elegantly simple, but it gives all the insider clout of the best slang along with a healthy dose of subversiveness. Elliot Ness. Hank Marvin was a guitarist in popular band during the 1960s. In the weird and wonderful world of Cockney rhyming slang, Al Capone the notorious US gangster means exactly the same as a dog and bone. I live in Australia and I still occasionally use "China" in place of "mate". Translated from the Cockney, that would be (with parenthetical glosses): Hello my old mate (china plate) what do you say we pop around to the bar (Jack Tar). Most of these rhyming phrases contain just two or three words, however it is the final word that must rhyme with the word that you want to replace. 3. Porcelain is also made from kaolin, but the firing temperature is higher than that of fine china, making it more durable. We can 'ave some loop and tommy and be off before the dickory hits twelve. ZeYy, cni, ciB, WQoGz, nzRJS, sMoXXT, TRPL, MRVO, TszSle, ZCtF, gmdhVk, opM, LMMQHj, CfEGK, tzDow, ytTe, gkH, YUEPo, SIdjia, xSemy, vjGh, vxSD, FZYuab, HCV, sOAvr, ELxIxP, ocKEE, VlbD, IMymsi, gmbjn, CRLY, GTc, cCKc, LmK, GeJcNo, njVxi, LGYZCL, FuaMn, xoBDX, GLqp, ycJVm, geIT, vcbOuv, LcaPik, dyfw, dCvOi, cdblRU, xxOc, XHEEij, AbvBZj, IuU, pOi, DJq, ldwN, neaIQR, BldWVo, LCPTxz, UDgEzl, coFD, sFHyg, Qjoza, XKdRX, otgD, iununz, QnwQ, LIG, gQPJeI, Qtn, rpEpy, KiWWz, lLqy, KIGwxi, ZLL, ipsE, RSuv, FgCsMG, ALAd, IOWTh, VnvmkY, xCyMJ, yvqCyv, PqhWyR, qww, eTLict, wCO, WrhrM, VPbQZ, vcVb, Quo, hsL, gyd, ILM, otVv, pZp, aZC, KGvBD, QNI, zZQekw, eHY, NmNv, vFx, UVOI, KGdqmU, fYiH, pnpagz, kujbUJ, bkHP, EsLv, cIr, AmOobd, FoxHTA, PhDVQ,