British English Slang – Apples and pears.
Stairs. The set of steps leading from one floor of a building to another.
This expression is an example of Cockney (or London) rhyming slang. In this type of slang, a word is replaced by a phrase that rhymes with it. Here, pears rhymes with stairs. This type of slang is associated with the people of East London, particularly market traders.
Today you’re most likely to hear apples and pears used jokily, or in films and TV shows set in London – it’s famous, but not something most Londoners say every day.
Cockney Rhyming Slang:
Here are some more examples of Cockney rhyming slang. In many of them the rhyming word is dropped – we just say loaf, not loaf of bread, when we mean head. That’s what makes it so hard to guess!
- Brown bread – Dead
- (You’re having a) bubble (from bubble bath) – Laugh
- (Have a) butcher’s (from butcher’s hook) – Look
- China (from China plate) – Mate
- Dicky bow – Bow tie
- Dog and bone – Phone
- Loaf (from loaf of bread) – Head
- (It’s all gone) Pete Tong – Wrong – Pete Tong is a well-known English DJ on BBC Radio 1.
- Ruby Murray – Curry – Ruby Murray was an Irish pop singer from the 1950s.
- Trouble and strife – Wife
More Cockney Rhyming Slang.
Example:
- “Are you looking for the bathroom? Go up the apples and pears and you’ll see it on your right.”
What is slang?
Slang is very informal language. It’s usually spoken rather than written, and is often used by a particular group of people or in a particular place. Slang changes over time, and using it well is a great way to sound more natural when speaking English.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is Cockney rhyming slang for “stairs”, because “pears” rhymes with “stairs”.
A type of slang from East London where a word is replaced by a phrase that rhymes with it – for example “dog and bone” for “phone”.
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