rhyming slang

noun

1. a form of slang in which a rhyming word or phrase is substituted for the word intended, as Kate and Sidney for steak and kidney or khaki rocks for army socks.

2. a further removal from the original word intended by ellipsis of the rhyming part, as titfer for tit for tat for hat.

rhyming slang

noun

1. slang in which a word is replaced by another word or phrase that rhymes with it; for example, apples and pears meaning stairs

Word History and Origins

Origin of rhyming slang¹

First recorded in 1855–60