It developed as a way of obscuring the meaning of sentence?s to those who did not understand the slang, though it is unclear whether this was a linguistic accident, or whether it was developed intentionally to assist criminal?s or to maintain a particular community.
It works by picking a two or three word phrase? that rhymes with the word you want to hide, then substituting the word to be obscured with the first word in the phrase. An early example that has fallen into common use is the term "bread?" for money. Originally the rhyming phrase was "bread and honey", but has been shortened. Likewise the phrase "apples and pears" is used for stairs?, so the sentence? "I'm walking up the stairs" becomes "I'm walking up the apples".
Some substitutions have become relatively widespread in England, for example "to have a butcher?'s" means to have a look, from the rhyming slang "butcher's hook".
This style of rhyming has also spread through many English-speaking countries, where the original phrases are supplemented by rhymes created to fit local needs. The term Cockney Rhyming Slang is generally applied to these expansions to indicate the rhyming style, though arguably the term only applies to phrases used in the East End of London.
It is often used in films (Such as "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels", which contains a glossary of Cockney Rhyming Slang on the DVD version to assist the viewer) and on television (e.g. "Minder", "Eastenders") to lend authenticity to an East End setting.
Other examples of Cockney Rhyming Slang, or phrases inspired by it, are:
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