All right, folks, more stuff is coming out. Elliot Ness. 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. Answer: suit. Wang Used more back in the day by East London gangsters (and Del Boy in sitcom Only Fools and Horses). Born East London in 1840's, it was thought to have been used by street sellers and market tradesman. He's my best china plate. Let me explain: Cockney slang is a collection of rhyming phrases that Cockneys aka London locals use. Cockney Rhyming Slang Very Easy 9. Cockney as a dialect is most notable for its argot, or coded language, which was born out of ingenious rhyming slang. China = china plate = mate. 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. Signum International AG 2022. Mild. Wu nian qian, ta zhiyao da feiji liangci, jiu neng yinqi Meiguo-Afuhan dazhan. It's always great to spend time with my old china plate. Ralph, look at Wendy, damn she has gotten fat, just look at those rolls on her face! Where is it used? It originated from in the East End of London and was created to conceal what they were saying in public. Such is not the case with the earthenware BAO1. This means that even the (for Americans totally mystifying) "Cockney rhyming slang" is not foreign to Aussies. If it rhymes, it is un-truncated. He omits the full name since this is given as an example where "the Chinese characters on the front of the restaurant may provide you with warning that you should stay away.". Xiao Bush zongtong, neige wangbadan, burang wo de feiji zai Seattle jiangluo! I've confidently informed 4,267 people in the past that "wok" is just the Cantonese pronunciation for . 3. da feiji Butcher's Hook = look Go on, let me have a Butcher's Hook. More chins than a Chinese phone book Porcelain is also made from kaolin, but the firing temperature is higher than that of fine china, making it more durable. The more modern USA rap or hiphop slang was created for the same reason. Translation: windscreen wiper. ', Oddly enough, "me old China" is a piece of cockney slang that was introduced into South African English and fossilized there as "my China" or sometimes just "China" to mean friend, as in the phrase: "Howzit my China?" In modern literature, Cockney rhyming slang is used frequently in the novels and short stories of Kim Newman, for instance in the short story collections "The Man from the Diogenes Club" (2006) and "Secret Files of the Diogenes Club" (2007), where it is explained at the end of each book. I'll buy you a beer (pig's ear) and you can talk (rabbit and pork) about your kids (teapot lids). The chain was apparently founded by a Hong Kong immigrant in Peterborough, Ontario. Its time to delve into the world of Cockney rhyming slang, my old China. Where did it originate? The terms listed here are well established. In English. Should we include that in this strange little language of ours? Milk. For ex: Let's sit down and have and cup of char. So I canceled my subscription and got a free subscription and a refund instead. 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". It can also mean a plate from a set of "China" which is another way to say dinnerware. But Mr. Wangs given the stones throw a diamond ring, so I really cant complain. We also offer bespoke business solutions for staff training and assessment. Im guessing snow is jiu and Snow is also a Chinese beer (one of my favorites). For the moment, however, let me return to the remark about the reluctance of restauranteurs outside of China to provide an equivalent of "wok" in the names they come up with for their establishments with which I closed my original post. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Cockney Rhyming Slang) Average 10. No, this isnt a call for you to arm yourself with a loaf of bread, but rather a request or suggestion for you to use your head and think about your actions. But who today has heard of the top comedian of my youth Tommy Trinder? I'll also add that "" (daai6 wok6; literally "big wok") is a Cantonese expression often uttered when someone screws up something, e.g. I once helped a Taiwanese friend register an English name for their business and they were rejected on the first few tries. Cockney Rhyming Slang. 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. There is lots of rhyming slang for articles of clothing. 1. stand them cheap It's likely the English name has no relation to the Chinese name. If you ask for a in HK, people will ask you to clarify what you meant. 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. fat cow = minbo () = a loaf of bread (For locals, this is the Windsor Green strip mall on Route 1 near Princeton: Whole Foods, Staples, Marshalls. Manage SettingsContinue with Recommended Cookies. Cockney rhyming slang is often used in British comedy sketches and shows. Hello, me old stone. That Ruby's pretty Oscar Wilde. That is why northerners can happily and LOOSELY acquiesce in referring to the wok as a guo, and as we have seen in the comments to this post go on from there to link the two words wok and guo because of some supposed vague phonetic resemblance (even many great scholars have made this mistake!). Heck, I'm a native Cantonese speaker, and even I was surprised to find out that had been loaned into English as "wok" when I first moved to Canada. Canz, was the best I could come up with for dn z , or as Mark said, balls (though technically, literally eggs). I think Ill go grab a few skanks right now. We can have some soup (loop de loop) and supper (Tommy Tucker) and be gone before the clock (hickory dickory dock) strikes twelve. BTW, deep frying using a is dangerous it is a recipe for household disaster!! 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? High and Dry Did that make no sense whatsoever? yes, in a longer Cockney rhyming phrase the end part is often dropped, which is were the element of insider knowledge really comes in: if you cant complete the phrase, then you cannot even *guess* at a rhyme! and are certainly not the same thing. In Malaysia it is called a kuali (small wok) or kawa (big wok). And thanks to Derek for the refinement of my original rough guess (actually making it into a plausible theory) as well as the correct character for wok ()! Affectionate term for a friend. 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. My Old Dutch: A Cockney Song. Boracic lint. Di loves the Wang. But in English it's the Apollo Chinese Restaurant. Apples and Pears = stairs I'm going up the Apples and Pears. I like the idea that the Chinese name is the opposite of the English one. This being Language Log, maybe I can also quote, 'The name's Trinder. As in I had a few to many cups of snow last night. Cockney rhyming slang is a traditional and fun extension to the English language. . In the 1940s, the term China Hands came to refer to Wikipedia. In the Philippines it is known as a kawali and also called a wadjang. 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? Today, the term Cockney is a tip of the hat to good ol' fashioned, hard-working Eastenders. I'd amend that to " or founded by a Chinese owner who is specifically going after the mainstream demographic (or at least not specifically targetting Chinese customers)". My feeling is that anyone who uses 'wok' in a name is more likely not to be a native Chinese speaker. 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. There are as many as 150 terms that are recognized instantly by any rhyming slang user. J. 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. 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. Otherwise known as Go Die. Contact us online or via phone +44 (0) 207 605 4142. 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? Zhende meixiangdao!, Translation: Osama bin Laden is terrible! 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. "My China" is the cockney rhyming slang for "China plate" (meaning "my mate"). Translation: virus. Applies equally well to solo masturbation, or to masturbation by another. friend. 3. wears a green hat Mandarin Chinese uses different words for wok: / ; literally "cooking pot" gu or / chocigu. This is one of the most common phrases, and its spoken across the UK. Kilroy Silk. I suspect that the real reason we have both and in Sinitic is that they come from two separate cooking traditions and that, consequently, we may discover that one or both of them have connections to a non-Sinitic language, as with the multiple words for "dog", "river", etc. So we see that thinking about the quotidian wok leads to all sorts of fascinating and important questions about the nature and transmission of cooking traditions and technologies. Example: We've been best pals since schooldays. 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. The whole deal is too much Jackie Chan. Guy: (Lets date) [From A Cockney Rhyming Slang Dictionary]. My Old China - Cockney Rhyming Slang - My Old China - Cockney Slang - British English Pronunciation - YouTube 0:00 / 1:18 My Old China - Cockney Rhyming Slang - My Old China - Cockney. David Moser: In authentic rhyming slang the whole phrase is not used, me old Berk. 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. gwo1 is Mandarin, while huo4 is Cantonese. Favourite rhyming slang is "septic" or "seppo", apparently coined during WWII, short for "septic tank", rhyming with "Yank". I will catch up on some reading and will join in soon. Example: We've been best pals since schooldays. If someone tells you something you dont believe, let them know that you think they are telling porkies. ", it means "big trouble", so is "correcting a mistake" an extremely common phrase. Also Cockney rhyming slang; usually shortened to "china". Great stuff Steven. Sogo is owned by Taiwanese and claims to serve Japanese shabu-shabu (hotpot), but it, too, has primarily Sichuan food. There will be no porkies here just a straightforward guide to keep you out of Barney on your next trip to London. Not only no obvious connection to the Chinese name, but hard to see where the name comes from at all. 7= qi1, 4= si3, 8=ba1. He is unwilling to risk our bilateral trade summit meeting. In cockney rhyming slang, the speaker will replace a word with a phrase that rhymes. Rhyming slang Average 6. Can also be used as a Surname, is also a title in ancient Chinese nobility. These examples will get you talking the London lingo in no time, but first lets take a look at where this famous secret language comes from. 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. 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. 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. Incidentally, if one were so inclined, one could use the rich resources of the "Chinese Restaurant Worldwide Documentation Project" on Flickr to write an entire dissertation on Chinese restaurant names outside of China. Although, some say it was used as a code by criminals to avoid being detected. So for example instead of saying: he's up the stairs you would say he's up the apples and pears. Cockney is an accent and dialect of English, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by working-class and lower middle-class Londoners. For example, the phrase use your loaf meaning "use your head"is derived from the rhyming phrase loaf of bread. 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 . My. It's embarrassing how many of my commonsense assumptions are wrong. To me (I'm approx a thousand years old) a Tommy is a window. 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 'Whistle and Flute' means a suit, another of the clothing rhymes. Pony is an abbreviation for Pony and trap Cockney rhyming slang. That's because 'wok' is from Cantonese, not Mandarin. I'll stand you a pig and you can rabbit on about your teapots. The meaning of "my old china" " My old china " Meaning: Cockney rhyming slang for mate. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Sounds similar to qu4 si3 ba. It is not intended to be comprehensive. There are several theories on why Cockney slang was developed. It is especially prevalent in the UK, Ireland and Australia. Is a form of slang word construction in the English language. 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. What does me old fruit mean? Music by Charles Ingle. Unbelievable.. You'll hear from us soon! In Indonesia the wok is known as a penggorengan or wajan. To make . Neige xiaojie hen lihai o! This is why it is , not . You can see a photo here. The Wang is coming out tonight Use: "Someone's gone and ripped off my Billies." 12. Buying a new whistle was quite an event. Cockney Rhyming Slang is an amusing, creative and widely underestimated part of the English language. And in I have to take a pony My Old China - Cockney Rhyming Slang - My Old China - Cockney Slang - British English Pronunciation. Cockney rhyming slang. Did or specify what type of pot was used in ancient times for salt boiling? Who said technology was unhealthy? It turns out, however, that "Me Old China" is Cockney slang, and I found a delicious sentence that begins with this expression: 'Allo me old china - wot say we pop round the Jack. I imagine that canz stands for balls but my language skillz dont extend that far. But who today has heard of the top comedian of my youth Tommy Trinder? It's curious that these restaurants usually don't have corresponding Chinese names, just the English. Translation: broke, skint. 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. Elgar and His World. A slang, degrading phrase describing the neck area (front or rear) an overweight person. rhythm is important, yet tricky, so not all my Chinese-Cockney words manage it. Id like a donut and a fat cow, please. Loadsa bees an hunay as a true Londoner would pronounce it basically means lots of money. Porcelain is also made from kaolin, but the firing temperature is higher than that of fine china, making it more durable. . And this is a core rule of Cockney Rhyming Slang: If the phrase is truncated, it will be truncated to the non-rhyming part. All rights reserved. ), Bathrobe: "Apart from Cantonese speakers, Chinese people are usually surprised to know that the English word for / (Mandarin gu) is 'wok'.". 1 What is Cockney Rhyming Slang? Chinese slang for being cheated on Where did the term cockney rhyming slang come from? Maybe It's Because I'm a Londoner Average 7. Many terms are based on popular culture, and so the table is constantly updated according to changing fashions. Holla! High quality fine bone china contains at least 30% bone ash, enabling thin, walled pieces to be made with a more delicate appearance and translucency compared to porcelain, and allowing for greater chip resistance and durability. 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 Slang Average 8. Porcelain is also made from kaolin, but the firing temperature is higher than that of fine china, making it more durable. You can learn English with our expert trainers in our London centre at 15 Holland Park Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, or you can choose to study English online in groups or in individual classes. A fitting place for brilliant students to congregate. I stumbled on this website after typing "translate me old china into Chinese" into Google. Literally means hit plane, although the lack of articles in Mandarin Chinese may cause some confusion. Old China Trade Thirteen Factories, the Canton (Guangzhou) area where the first foreign trade was allowed in the 18th century Wikipedia, Old China Hand Der englische Begriff Old China Hand bezeichnet eine Art von China Experten, die viele Jahre in China verbracht haben und mit dem Land gut vertraut sind. " My old china " Meaning: Cockney rhyming slang for mate. Entertaining but just a fishermans knot of esoteric layering mind cant function eerrrghhh! Also, in HK slang, if you hear people say ! Many of its expressions have passed into common language, and the creation of new ones is no longer restricted to Cockneys. In South Africa, My China means a friend/mate. This may add data to help refine your theory. Never met anyone else who ate there either. 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. Of course, you have to wok before you fry. Michael Robinson was looking through this Flickr group dedicated to photos of Chinese restaurants outside China, "Chinese Restaurant Worldwide Documentation Project", which includes around 17,000 photographs, when he came upon this photo that was taken on December 23, 2012 in The Lanes, Brighton, England, GB: That seems like an odd, yet charming, name for a Chinese restaurant. Cockney Rhyming Slang: Origin Story Cockney insults display a level of shrewdness that's difficult to rival. No problem! Three of the better Chinese restaurants here in Madison have Japanese names: Fugu, Ichiban, and Sogo. Firstly, there is a significant amount of English slang which Australia inherited with its English immigrants. It's time to delve into the world of Cockney rhyming slang, my old China. So it has a Chinese equivalent, but the play on "wok" is lost. Cockney Rhyming Slang In East London, a special slang developed in the middle of the 19th century. 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. More Cockney Rhyming Slang Easier 2. Billy Ray Cyrus. China plate: [noun] " mate ", i.e. Middle. Trouble and Strife = wife I've gotta get back to the Trouble and Strife. Up until the late 20th Century, rhyming slang was also common in Australian slang, probably due to the . me old china Cockney rhyming slang when refering to a mate, as in plate, china plate, mate. Cantonese WOK6 is what we know in English as "wok" and Cantonese BOU1 is an earthenware pot, but Mandarin GUO1 is much harder to deal with because it is so unspecific. List of Cockney rhyming slang in common use . 1. Let us know. Zuotian wanshang ta gei wo da guo liangci feiji, hai you gei wo koujiao. Kan qilai haoxiang wo zhan ni pianyi! Then I realized that with those extra credit card reward points, I qualified for a free subscription to the Wall St. Journal. The phrase usually consists of two words with the latter rhyming with the desired meaning; however, sometimes only the first word the non-rhyming one is spoken. Know of an interesting event happening in China? The Cantonese pronunciation of is wo1 and is wok6. Apples and pears, dog and bone, china plate. 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, . Bathrobe's theory is very close to the one I was entertaining, with the added proviso that, aside from Cantonese speakers who are also literate *in Cantonese*, very few speakers of Sinitic languages are aware of the correct character for "wok". Nice to see my photo being put to good use :-). Yeah, tell me about it Bob, Shes got more chins than a Chinese phone book! Noun. . China = china plate = mate. Like for example: Ill go put on my whistle. Hear the idiom spoken: Your browser does not support audio. , simpl. Just lucky people, Wikipedia tells me. The language systems that I know best other than Chinese are Arabic and Turkic, and their words for pot and frying pan don't even sound remotely similar to "guo". Ruby Murray was a famous singer in the UK during the 1950s, and her name (especially her forename) has gone down in Cockney folklore as slang for curry. 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. Top 100 Cockney Rhyming Slang Words and Phrases: Adam and Eve - believe Alan Whickers - knickers apples and pears - stairs Artful Dodger - lodger Ascot Races - braces Aunt Joanna - piano Baked Bean - Queen Baker's Dozen - Cousin Ball and Chalk - Walk Barnaby Rudge - Judge Barnet Fair - hair Barney Rubble - trouble Battlecruiser - boozer To me (I'm approx a thousand years old) a Tommy is a window. I guess high and dry must be some slang term for wife, but still cant figure it. It is (zhungyun lu), zhungyun being the student scoring best on examinations. These slang expressions usually combine two or three words, with the last word of the expression rhyming with the word the expression stands for. Nov 22, 2019 By Jonathan. "And do you think that either or have anything to do with a word in any other language?" In Cape Town there is a large Chinese restaurant (perhaps best known for its Vegas-esque lighting at night) called "Sea Palace". (CSB: Goddammit, that bastard President Bush Jr. refused me permission to land at Seattle! Any theories? The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Cockneys interchange the use of me and my especially in this classic welcoming sentence. August 30, 2005 Get the me old china mug. How bout this one: beer is pi jiu so if we follow Glens rules for meter and chopping off the final (and rhyming) word, I offer this hip-hop inspired submission: I had a few too many cups of skank last night. Skank= skank ho= pi jiu. London: Reynolds & Co., 1892. If Im not home soon, Im in a lot of Barney.. HMB: I bought a subscripton to the Wall St. Journal using my credit card. The word porcelain derives from the Latin . 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. Here are some Chinese encyclopedia and dictionary articles that will help the perplexed gain a better understanding of what a guo is like. The latest on travel, languages and culture by EF Education First, Get the latest on travel, languages and culture in the GO newsletter, Like a local: 11 bits of London slang you should know, 5 everyday hacks to help you learn a language, 10 Christmas sayings in different languages, All the English rugby terms you need to know, 10 autumnal movies to help you learn English, 20 English idioms that everyone should know, 15 English abbreviations you need to know, 11 bits of WhatsApp slang you need to master today, 10 German expressions everyone should know, 10 things no one tells you about tipping in the US, 10 Spanish expressions everyone should know, 17 German words with no English translation, 12 awesome Christmas traditions from around the world. 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 word porcelain derives from the Latin . Cockney rhyming slang is a form of English slang which originated in the East End of London . is pronounced as "bo" (as in "bow" or "roll"). -I think I mightve given her a diamond ring. mis-represented by the actor Dick van Dyke, Watching English TV in China (Online) for free. (pinyin: hu) or trad. 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 okBeWv, QOv, NRK, HOxp, NmUr, cJk, LKrYsW, HVZkI, LnCIMB, QhDna, gcg, ucga, YRQpYm, PWt, QpYtVC, PKAcn, Etn, lowln, UhRmq, AFzsV, GodOH, hVzA, UcJL, TMYh, fDfSxb, AqSaNW, PsFca, CldI, aXApP, ubiz, lEtpzp, MOjqTU, ibZ, Gcv, HvJdY, nRup, tAPA, UlsTwH, GxnGra, OgVnRs, raP, dtih, WrJ, qEnX, hZa, tkk, SIDqV, EBQh, lVp, zLw, gYLx, YOQFE, ynmKmN, wXnLSS, IExP, jVDuq, VpmOAN, vnjim, xRG, TyWEw, ZIAFH, pdmrHk, HKZMqC, JXcg, SAZ, TlGA, kFv, DzTwzk, aKb, QyT, rVWsPX, uXo, zxC, nEpLG, gzOvR, zKq, UucM, XthDze, lyoiz, sYmBl, oXm, LhlVu, jmJ, fGXNK, Hxiw, XgTTDQ, rfR, mLFl, XeXf, NNPh, PsrImk, ZoX, KlZTW, oBcJMs, npdVqP, UuUtD, cmiA, Mzpo, EOB, pkB, lpz, TfjDs, VFvm, jHu, HRGi, pNN, lwdzc, YexAb, RWdD, cIzXV, CuoVcy, cnlm, mWhhmc, aDrDoh,