rhyming slang

American  

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 British  

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

---

Etymology

Origin of rhyming slang

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

Our Gravedigger speaks to us, and to the moon, about her heart’s desire in charming cockney rhyming slang.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

Austin recalled, “He was telling a porky pie,” and laughed, using Cockney rhyming slang for a lie.

From New York Times • Jun. 21, 2022

Diane Gould, the Pearly Queen of St. Pancras herself, weighs in—and shares a bit of cockney rhyming slang and history.

From Slate • Dec. 28, 2018

“From Cockney rhyming slang to codes swapped among highwaymen, they’re tribal badges of identity, bonding mechanisms designed to distinguish the initiated, and to keep strangers out.”

From The Guardian • Jan. 20, 2017

We welcome the introduction of "rhyming slang" to brighten up the advertisement columns.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 158, 192-06-30 by Various