Cockney's
The language Cockney Rhyming slang was believed to have started many years ago by the Villain's and Rogues of East London so they could talk amongst themselves without the local authorities knowing what they were saying. To be a true Cockney you have to be born within the sound of the Bow Bells, which are in a Church called St Mary le Bow, which is in Cheapside in the city of London. You will find a few cockney's in the local Pie and Mash shops (See Restaurants)
One of the most famous saying's is Apples and Chairs = Stairs, For a full list of Slang go to Rhyming Slang
i.e I went for a ball of chalk (walk) down the frog and toad (road) to have a pigs ear (beer) in the rub a dub ( pub), while wearing a whistle and flute (suit), tit for tat (hat) dickie dirt (shirt) and a pair of rhythm and blues (shoes).
A Pearly King or Pearly Queen is a person dressed in a traditional cockney costume covered in mother-of-pearl buttons. These costumes were treasured heirlooms, hand made and sometime representing much of a family's material worth. According to one account, the pearlies derived from London costermongers who sewed pearl buttons onto their clothing. An orphan costermonger named Henry Croft collected any pearl buttons that had fallen off others' clothes and covered his clothing with them. Another story claims that in the 1880s a cargo of Japanese pearl buttons was salvaged from the River Thames after the boat carrying it foundered. One of the salvagers, Henry Croft, decorated his suit, hat and stick with pearl buttons, making him the first pearly king. The pearlies were originally elected by costermongers to safeguard their rights from rivals. Modern pearlies no longer have this role, but tend instead to devote their time to charitable activities. Each individual area of London once had a king and his 'donna' (from the Italian for woman), as their wives / queens are sometimes called -- one for each of the London boroughs, one for the City of Westminster, and one for the City of London.
Any questions email John