Tuppence
- Thread starter chesty
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I'd love to know the slang meaning of 'tuppens'. My imagination is running wild!
"tits" in Cockney rhyming slang.It is a slang expression, not used too much now, to euphamistically talk about female sexual organs. I do not remember ever having seen written, so can't say whether it is tuppence (two pennies) or tuppens. I have no idea of its origin in this context.
This puts an entirely new spin on the song "Feed the Birds" from the musical "Mary Poppins."
"Though her words are simple and few,
Listen, listen, she's calling to you:
Feed the birds, tuppence a bag,
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag."
Written by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman
"Though her words are simple and few,
Listen, listen, she's calling to you:
Feed the birds, tuppence a bag,
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag."
Written by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman
Is this a reference to a two penny whore or a tuppeny whore indicating a prostitute so undesireable that only the utterly desperate would employ.
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Tuppence meant two pennies, and now means two pence. I still use tuppeny bits
I agree that a woman's tuppence is her "front bottom", and is usually used in a sexually derogative way. (The alternative word "minge" was merely anatomical). I have no idea if its rhyming slang.
As a child in east London I found the song "Feed the Birds" hilarious. Mummy (Irish) loved it and did not know why Daddy hated it nor why her children found it hilarious when she sang it in his absence. Similarly Daddy refused to allow us to watch the TV series featuring Agatha Christie's husband and wife sleuths "Tommy and Tuppence". I'm guessing that as Mummy, Walt Disney, Agatha Christie and my other half (parents from West London, raised in various locations across Europe) and the Online Oxford English Dicitonary do not know the "front bottom" meaning, its geographical spread is limited.
The word also crops up in some respectable idioms, where it generally means worthless. "I don't give tuppence" (roughly speaking, "I don't care")
"its not worth tuppence" or "I wouldn't give tuppence for it" (its worthless).
Truppenny bits (as well as being rhyming slang for tits) were coins worth three pence, which as I recall had 5 sides. They unfortunately disappeared at decimilisation. I was outraged. My sweetie money changed from a thruppeny bit a week to tuppence. I eventually managed to negotiate a raise to a bob (five pence), but I still miss truppeny bits.
I agree that a woman's tuppence is her "front bottom", and is usually used in a sexually derogative way. (The alternative word "minge" was merely anatomical). I have no idea if its rhyming slang.
As a child in east London I found the song "Feed the Birds" hilarious. Mummy (Irish) loved it and did not know why Daddy hated it nor why her children found it hilarious when she sang it in his absence. Similarly Daddy refused to allow us to watch the TV series featuring Agatha Christie's husband and wife sleuths "Tommy and Tuppence". I'm guessing that as Mummy, Walt Disney, Agatha Christie and my other half (parents from West London, raised in various locations across Europe) and the Online Oxford English Dicitonary do not know the "front bottom" meaning, its geographical spread is limited.
The word also crops up in some respectable idioms, where it generally means worthless. "I don't give tuppence" (roughly speaking, "I don't care")
"its not worth tuppence" or "I wouldn't give tuppence for it" (its worthless).
Truppenny bits (as well as being rhyming slang for tits) were coins worth three pence, which as I recall had 5 sides. They unfortunately disappeared at decimilisation. I was outraged. My sweetie money changed from a thruppeny bit a week to tuppence. I eventually managed to negotiate a raise to a bob (five pence), but I still miss truppeny bits.
sarcy is right when she says that 'thrupenny bit' was used in Cickney slang to mean 'tits' (see http://www.londonslang.com/db/t/), but the original question referred to 'tuppence' although I see I had misread it in my post (tuppens). There is no reference to this in the above mentioned dictionary so I suppose it's anybody' guess.
It seems perfectly clear that if a young bloke is talking to a young woman in a flirtatious manner and asks to see her 'tuppenies' he obviously wants to see her twopenny bits and this is obviously rhyming slang for tits with the added visual reference of two separate round penny bits.
The rhyming slang is along the lines of;
Show us your two penny bits.
Perhaps we are participating in a slowly unfolding egg-yolk.
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The rhyming slang is along the lines of;
Show us your two penny bits.
Perhaps we are participating in a slowly unfolding egg-yolk.
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I love your story !Tuppence meant two pennies, and now means two pence. I still use tuppeny bits
I agree that a woman's tuppence is her "front bottom", and is usually used in a sexually derogative way. (The alternative word "minge" was merely anatomical). I have no idea if its rhyming slang.
As a child in east London I found the song "Feed the Birds" hilarious. Mummy (Irish) loved it and did not know why Daddy hated it nor why her children found it hilarious when she sang it in his absence. Similarly Daddy refused to allow us to watch the TV series featuring Agatha Christie's husband and wife sleuths "Tommy and Tuppence". I'm guessing that as Mummy, Walt Disney, Agatha Christie and my other half (parents from West London, raised in various locations across Europe) and the Online Oxford English Dicitonary do not know the "front bottom" meaning, its geographical spread is limited.
The word also crops up in some respectable idioms, where it generally means worthless. "I don't give tuppence" (roughly speaking, "I don't care")
"its not worth tuppence" or "I wouldn't give tuppence for it" (its worthless).
Truppenny bits (as well as being rhyming slang for tits) were coins worth three pence, which as I recall had 5 sides. They unfortunately disappeared at decimilisation. I was outraged. My sweetie money changed from a thruppeny bit a week to tuppence. I eventually managed to negotiate a raise to a bob (five pence), but I still miss truppeny bits.
what about "2 bob bit" .
in context : after a ruby and a few jars I was dying for a 2 bob bit
My grandma was always saying this
in context : after a ruby and a few jars I was dying for a 2 bob bit
My grandma was always saying this
I confess that the extraneous meanings of "tuppence" were all completely alien to me. It's simply a sum of money. When I wur a lad you could feed a family of a hundred and six for a year for tuppence.
I'm not sure if The Philosopher's post is asking for an explanation or provoking a question, but I'll fall for it and declare that, by my understanding, his grandma was dying for a shit.
I'm not sure if The Philosopher's post is asking for an explanation or provoking a question, but I'll fall for it and declare that, by my understanding, his grandma was dying for a shit.
I have a feeling they had twelve sides, not five.
I had one somewhere here, but I'm blessed if I can find it now!
By mine, too
. It appears that The Philosopher's granny always had the urge to go to the loo after a curry and a few drinks.
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Yes, nice story.Tuppence meant two pennies, and now means two pence. I still use tuppeny bits
Truppenny bits (as well as being rhyming slang for tits) were coins worth three pence, which as I recall had 5 sides. They unfortunately disappeared at decimilisation. I was outraged. .
As I remember it in 1971 the clipped pronunciation of the terms tupp'nce, thrupp'nce and even sixp'nce changed overnight to the longer two-pence, three-pence and six-pence (or 2p,3p and 6p), perhaps in order to distinguish between the two. Lord knows that a lot of people were confused by the change.
I also have memories of the thrupenny bit being withdrawn BEFORE decimilisation, like the half-crown. Wikipaedia however does not agree with me on this.
Finally, just as an anecdote, in 1798 a 2d. (tuppenny) coin was introduced. It was large and cumbersome and did not catch on, and was quickly withdrawn from circulation.
This one does anyone recognise this one, a firm favourite when I was a kid .."he´s as bent as a five bob note"
Someone mentioned a 12 sided shape earlier and I had to look up what it was called , it`s a dodecagon.......If you speak Spanish this , I imagine, would be quite funny.
Someone mentioned a 12 sided shape earlier and I had to look up what it was called , it`s a dodecagon.......If you speak Spanish this , I imagine, would be quite funny.
I believe the expression at the time was "bent as a nine bob note". Very disparaging, as a nine-bob note never existed.
you are right spira , I stand corrected.