Bill - rhyming slang seems to have originated well away from us in Yorkshire, but it does manage to get into everyday speak throughout the country. I could easily imagine myself saying 'I'll have a butcher's' meaning I was going to have a look. The odd thing is also that the rhyming slang often misses off the rhyming bit - hook in the above example.

It can be even more obscure, as it is possible to get rhyming slang for rhyming slang! For instance it might be said 'he fell on his aris' meaning 'he fell on his backside'. In this case aris stands for Aristotle meaning bottle, and that stands for 'bottle and glass' meaning arse.

And it is constantly updated, often invoking the names of current celebrities.

feast your minces on this!

Les