cockney
cockney
Definition
cock·ney (käk′nē)
noun pl. cockneys -·neys
- a person born in the East End of London, England, traditionally one born within the sound of “Bow Bells” (i.e., the bells of St. Mary-le-Bow) and speaking a characteristic dialect
- this dialect, characterized by extreme diphthongization, loss of the initial (h) sound, and use of an intrusive (r)
- loosely any person born or living in London: a humorous or disparaging usage
Etymology: ME cokenei, spoiled child, milksop; understood as coken-ey, lit., cock's egg < coken (OE cocena, gen. pl.), of cocks + ey (OE æg), egg; ? infl. by Fr acoquiné, idle, spoiled (< coquin, rascal)
adjective
of or like cockneys or their dialect
Cockney
Usage Examples
Converse of object
Adjective modifier
- chirpy: The image of the chirpy cockney was largely an invention of the Music Halls, which thrived in London, Northern England and Scotland.
Modifies a noun
- accent: Fancy your son having a cockney accent, good for you!
- sparrow: And I had found some people disposed to joining me: genial Swede Magnus and cockney sparrow Ash.
- girl: In 1914, Bernard Shaw wrote the part of the cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, for her.
- lad: Jim London ( Jim Davidson ) is a down-to-earth, working class cockney lad.
- speaker: Cockney speakers also sometimes extend glottal replacement to affect [ p ] and [ k ] as well as [ t ] .
- geezer: It seems that everyone is a cockney geezer, lifted straight from the set of Lock Stock.
Noun used with modifier
- end: While associated very much around the world with the east end cockney modern London is very different to the that stereotype.
Cockney Quotes
I have seen, and heard, much of Cockney impudence before now; but never expected to hear a coxcomb ask two hundred guineas for flinging a pot of paint in the public's face.
Browse dictionary entries near cockney
- cockloft
- cockling
- cockleshell
- cockled
- cocklebur
- cockle
- cockiness
- cockily
- cockiest
- cockier
- cockneyfied
- cockneyfy
- cockneyfying
- cockneyish
- cockneyism
- cockneys
- cockpit
- cockroach
- cockscomb
- cockshies
