Which new words and expressions which have come from Estuary or popular London speech (Cockney) have now entered the “official” language?
James House, Japan, Sep. 1998 I emphasize that this is not a new phenomenon, but one that has been going on for centuries. For example, the expressions “have a butcher’s” (have a look) and “on your tod” (on your own, alone) are familiar colloquial expressions that originated as Cockney rhyming slang. I mentioned “cheers” above: no-one has yet adduced any evidence that it originated in London, and I keep an open mind on its origin.
