noun / adjective
cockney
KAHK-nee/ˈkɑːkni/
A working-class native of London's East End.
A cockney pearly king helps at an East London produce stall.
Etymology
Cockney is usually traced to a word for a spoiled child or milksop. This became a derisive term for a town dweller before narrowing to Londoners, especially those of the East End.
In context
you could be a cockney in certain ways
More examples
- My grandfather is a cockney who grew up in the East End.
- Several cockneys share stories about their old East End neighborhood.
- She is proud of her cockney roots.
Forms
cockney · cockneys
Similar words
- Londoner
- Includes anyone from London, not just its working-class East End.
- East Ender
- Identifies someone from the East End without specifying social class.