noun
- words, phrases, or expressions characteristic of Cockney dialect or speech patterns
Usage: plural form; linguistics
Examples
- The playwright included several cockneyisms in the dialogue to make the character more authentic.
- Students of linguistics study cockneyisms as examples of regional speech variation.
- The actor had to learn various cockneyisms for his role in the London-based drama.
- Her speech was peppered with cockneyisms that revealed her East London upbringing.
- The dictionary includes a section on cockneyisms and their standard English equivalents.
- Cockneyisms like ‘apples and pears’ for stairs are examples of rhyming slang.