Cockney' or 'cock's egg' was a 14th century insult used by rural people to describe native Londoners who lived by their wits rather than their muscle. In time, the term came to refer to any working ...

Traditionally, a Cockney is a person who lived close enough to hear the bell ringing at St Mary-le-Bow church, an area formerly known as Cheapside. The Cockney slang would soon follow suit ...