Cockney – Alive, Well, and On the Silver Screen

Cockney rhyming slang is one of the more entertaining linguistic novelties to come out of England. Recent news shows that not only is Cockney alive and well – its spreading around the world through top level film and sports alike. Case in point: Brad Pitt has announced he wants to tackle a Cockney role in his next movie.

Pitt has already tackled an obscure UK linguistic achievement in the past by taking on the role of a ‘Pikey’ in the film Snatch. Now Pitt wants to try the formidable and complex Cockney slang on for size. He claims the prospect is more intimidating than trying on an Irish accent, because Cockney is much more well-recognized and as a result he puts himself in big danger of drawing criticism if his attempt backfires.

In other Cockney-related news, it appears that German footballer Lukas Podolski is quickly getting up to speed with the rhyming slang as he slots into his new position as part of the Arsenal team. His teammates, not content to leave him in the dark when it comes to the slang, have been giving him a quick education – one which no doubt comes in handy for calling plays on the field that no one on the opposition can understand!

For the crossword lovers, here’s some advice for tackling Cockney crosswords and cracking those cryptic clues easily.

And Brad Pitt’s latest filmic desires aren’t the only silver screen related news bringing Cockney back into the limelight – horror comedy fans are anticipating the new release of Cockney Versus Zombies, a film which is sure to delight Cockney speakers everywhere. If the film’s success is anything like its British zom-com predecessor – Shaun of the Dead – then we’re all likely to be hearing a lot more rhyming slang in the near future. This film gives a particularly funny new twist to the zombie genre which is sure to keep audiences pleased and keep the Cockney lingo alive and kicking for a long time to come.

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