Keep your Alans on

[Ezhevika]

Hi, guys!
Could you please explain what does the expression "keep Alans on" mean?

Here's the dialogue from "The lock stock and two smoking barrels":
- It's a deal, it's a steal. It's the sale of the f***ing century! In fact, f*** it, Nick, I'll keep it!
- All right, all right, keep your Alans on!

Thank you!

 

[Barque]

As per this site, it's rhyming slang for "knickers", from Alan Whicker (who was a British journalist).

Edited to add - It means "Calm down", as Thomas says below.

 

[Thomas Tompion]

It means Calm down.

The standard expression in BE is Keep your hair on.

This is a variation on that.

I wonder if Alans refers to designer clothing. Is the person who shouts a very snappy dresser?

 

[Thomas Tompion]

As per this site, it's rhyming slang for "knickers", from Alan Whicker (who was a British journalist).

Thanks for finding that, Barque.

Yes, we also say Keep you knickers on, and knicker rhymes with Wicker and Alan Wicker is well known, hence Alans for Knickers. That's a typically roundabout Cockney derivation.

 

[Ezhevika]

As per this site, it's rhyming slang for "knickers", from Alan Whicker (who was a British journalist).

Edited to add - It means "Calm down", as Thomas says below.

Thank you!

 

[Ezhevika]

Thanks for finding that, Barque.

Yes, we also say Keep you knickers on, and knicker rhymes with Wicker and Alan Wicker is well known, hence Alans for Knickers. That's a typically roundabout Cockney derivation.

Thank you for making it clear to me. So I assume it's not common in use. It's just a kind of word-play used only in this movie.

 

[Barque]

So I assume it's not common in use. It's just a kind of word-play used only in this movie.

If you're referring to "Keep your knickers on", it's a common expression. But if you're referring specifically to "Alans" instead of "knickers", I get the impression it is used in real life - I doubt the scriptwriter would make up something that people would have to figure out. But I don't know how common it is.