[78-L] OT. Cockney Rhyming Slang.

[Spats]

I've never ever heard 'ginger beer' used as rhyming slang for 'queer' 
OR engineer.
So, it must be someone's personal invention.
It's certainly not commonly used in London with that meaning.

We used to make up lots as a private language...

There are also modern additions to the commonly used vocabulary...
For instance...

'Syrup of figs' (shortened to 'syrup') is now commonly used to refer 
to a 'wig'.

I friend of mine, now sadly deceased, used to invent them all the time...

One of his became widely used...
Ruby Murray', an Irish 1950s pop-singer....

'Ruby' is now widely used to refer to curry.

My favourite was his saying...

I've ricked my Gregory?

Ricked is a word used to mean putting something out of joint...but Gregory!?

It turned to mean NECK! ;-)

Earl.

At 12:00 pm -0800 24/1/2009, 78-l-request at klickitat.78online.com wrote:
>But Ginger is short for Ginger Beer which IS rhyming slang, for "queer".
>Apparently it also means "engineer". How come I know more about rhyming slang
>here in Toronto?
>
>dl