The UK is a factory for curious phrases, and Cockney rhyming slang is perhaps the best known production line. Gems like ‘apples and pears’ (stairs), ‘trouble and strife’ (wife) and ‘would you Adam and Eve it?’ (would you believe it?) remain common parlance.
Sometimes it goes one step further by cutting out half the expression. A common term for ‘hair’ in the UK is ‘barnet’, as in ‘I’m off to get my barnet cut’. This derives from Barnet fair, an ancient fete in North London. Similarly, to take a butcher’s means to take a look (from butcher’s hook).
So, for a bit of Friday fun, let’s see if we can introduce some scientific terms into Cockney rhyming slang. Start using the following around your lab today.
‘That must be a nice little bunsen’ — as in nice little earner/bunsen burner.
‘I’m on Craig Venterhooks’ — as in tenterhooks.
‘Money in the Max’— as in money in the bank/Max Planck.
‘She’s really found her Linus in life’ — as in found her calling/Linus Pauling.
‘Your Petri is my command’ — your wish/Petri dish.
I’m sure there are better ones out there. Please give generously in the comments. And thanks to Sara and John for prompting this idea.
Cheers Matt for the Friday geek fun post.
Cockney scientific rhyming from an American…Here it goes:
- It’s Friday and I’m sitting in my lab feeling – totally spinal (spinal cord/bored).
- I don’t like eating the the Wellcome on my pizza (Wellcome trust/crust).
- Give us an agarose when you’re in town (agarose gel/bell).
- Latex makes the world go round (latex glove/love).
- London is pipette (pipette tip/hip).
- You can scream until you’re blue in the phosphatase (phosphatase/face).
- Some PhD students don’t need help from monoclonal (monoclonal antibody/anybody).
- To get to the train station, walk up the Hensen’s (Hensen’s node/road).