Cockney slang is not just meant for pubs in East London
Whenever you see actors in movies talking English and there are also English subtitles, there's a pretty good chance they are talking in cockney rhyming slang. It used to be common for a movie produced in the UK to have some cockney slang, but now it has spread to American popular culture such as Austin Powers and even in the Ocean 11 series. Click on the pictures/gifs to hear what the characters are actually saying and try to correlate it to the subtitles.
Austin Powers - GoldmemberAhh yes, Austin Powers, the beloved british spoof of James Bond aka 007. Michael Caine (Nigel Powers), a cockney already, portrays himself as a cockney dad of Austin Powers. To evade the unsung ears of the ladies in the background, Austin suggests they speak 'English English' and they proceed to have a full conversation in cockney slang. From evading authorities to confusing Richard the Thirds (meaning birds = girls), cockney slang has come a long way.
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Ocean's 13The main plot of Ocean's 13 is to create a fake earthquake in order to break into a multi-billion dollar hotel. The head mechanic of the fake earthquake, Basher, is portrayed as a cockney. When he is asked how his project is going, he replies 'we're cattled'. Cattle truck, in full, is slang for fuck so if you're cattled, you're not in a good place. Click the picture and fast forward to 44:04 to see it for yourself.
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Lock Stock and Two Smoking BarrelsArguably one of the best British movies ever produced, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels was directed by Guy Ritchie, a cockney. To no surprise, the movie is ladled with cockney slang from the 'battle cruiser' for boozer (pub) to the 'custard jelly' for telly (television) to 'north and south' for mouth, this film has it all.
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