LL-L "Expressions" 2002.02.12 (04) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 12.FEB.2002 (04) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Sandy Fleming [sandy at scotstext.org]
Subject: "Expressions"

Ron wrote:

> Sandy:
>
> > "Lock, Stock and Two
> > Smoking Barrels". It's a longish recounting of an earlier
> > incident in the film by a barman - you'll know the scene
> > because it's subtitled in more conventional English.
>
> As an explanation for those subscribers who are not familiar with
> the original
> English expression, it is "lock, stock and barrel" (in reference
> to guns or
> canons) meaning something like "the whole thing," "in its entirety,"
> "everything included" (e.g., "He sold his house, lock, stock and barrel").

I actually managed to find this script on the Web at
http://scifiscripts.name2host.com/msol/lockstock_screenplay.txt

Here's the passage I was talking about - perhaps it'll serve
as an example of the sort of Cockney rhyming slang my father
heard, though for all I know it may not be authentic.
Obviously some of the terms are very modern, and it's true
that new phrases crop up in Cockney all the time.

Unfortunately the subtitles weren't in the script, so I've
supplied a glossary of the terms I can guess - and some of
these really are just guesses - perhaps others can correct
them and supply the missing definitions. I've put a rough
breakdown of the patterns in square brackets, because the
variety is interesting. Also I supplied the asterisks...

<quote>
A few nights ago Rory's Roger iron rusted, so he has gone to
the battle-cruiser to watch the end of a football game. Nobody
is watching the custard so he has turned the channel over. A
fat man's north opens and he wanders up and turns the Liza
over. `Now f*ck off and watch it somewhere else.' Rory knows
claret is imminent, but he doesn't want to miss the end of the
game; so, calm as a coma, he stands and picks up a fire
extinguisher and he walks straight past the jam rolls who are
ready for action, then he plonks it outside the entrance. He
then orders an Aristotle of the most ping pong oddly in the
nuclear sub and switches back to his footer. `That's f*cking
it,' says the man. Rory gobs out a mouthful of booze covering
fatty; he flicks a flaming match into his bird's nest and the
man lit up like a leaking gas pipe. Rory, unfazed, turned back
to watch his game. The flaming man and his chinos ran outside
to extinguish the flames, and Rory cheered on. His team won too,
four-nil.
</quote>

Roger iron rusted - ???
battle-cruiser - boozer          [phrase, rhyme complete]
custard - telly (custard and jelly)  [phrase, rhyme truncated]
north - mouth (north and south)  [phrase, rhyme truncated]
Liza - geezer                    [rhyme]
claret - blood                   [simile]
jam rolls - proles (proletariat) [phrase, rhyme complete]
Aristotle - bottle               [rhyme]
ping pong - strong               [rhyme]
oddly - stuff (oddly enough)     [phrase, rhyme truncated]
nuclear sub - pub                [phrase, rhyme complete]
footer - football (soccer)       [general English slang]
bird's nest - hair (or vest?)    [simile] (or [phrase, rhyme complete]?)
chinos - mates (china plates)    [phrase, rhyme truncated, modified china ->
chinos?]

One interesting thing is the phrase "strongest stuff" becoming
"most ping pong oddly", ie, choice of vocabulary precedes the
application of the comparator rule of English - which suggests
to me that these words are used as ordinary vocabulary by the
speaker, he's not actually working through rhyming derivations
in his head.

Sandy
http://scotstext.org
A dinna dout him, for he says that he
On nae accoont wad ever tell a lee.
                          - C.W.Wade,
                    'The Adventures o McNab'

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