Mockneys

Mockneys

In recent years, rhyming slang has undergone a revival of sorts through the mockney phenomenon, which was first observed in the late 1980s. In the 1990s, films such as Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Steven Soderbergh's The Limey popularized the trappings and traits of East End gangsters, who were themselves feted in the 1960s. At the same time, various celebrities began to espouse working-class pursuits such as 'going down the dogs'. The result was a kind of 'geezer chic', in which a Cockney accent and liberal sprinkling of rhyming slang was at least as important as a natty whistle.

The mockneys - 'mock Cockneys'- have become a permanent fixture in British life, especially in the media. No upbringing is too privileged or geographically removed from London, it seems, to prevent certain individuals trying to pass themselves off as chirpy Cockney sparrows. And rhyming slang, especially if used with a straight face rather than the traditional wink, confers an extra degree of 'street' authenticity.

In fact, the speech patterns and posturing of the mockneys are highly artificial, recreating the East End fantasy of 70s gangster films and TV shows such as The Sweeney rather than any genuine Cockney mode of speaking. It's an interesting kind of 'retro' fashion in language, but like other retro trends, it creates a heightened, exaggerated version of the original rather than anything close to it. But whatever else may be said for it, 'geezer chic' has undoubtedly given rhyming slang a new lease of life, and newly coined rhymes such as britneys, calvin, and brads owe their existence to the mockneys.

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