always looked like a contender along with Liz and one or two others.

This year, there is not one that I could say .... yeah they are potential winners!

Very poor bunch.

Nelson Mandela?

Exactly?

Geez ......... and Im Australian by birth and yet I understand more cockney rhyming slang (which is where Stella is from by the way) than you guys. For shame.

Dog and Bone = Telephone.
Nelson Mandella = Stella.

If you were to go up to a bartender in London and ask for a Nelson Mandella they would hand you a Stella.

I've taught you something for the day.

I agree dave, they are indeed a very poor bunch.

No one has been outstanding in any of the tasks. Jim has been ticking along nicely, but last night his failure to own up to his mistakes has got his card marked.

Zoe isn't bad, despite not opening her mouth for the first two weeks.

The rest of them would probably scrape a job as an office junior in my company.

Yeah, but as they are Australian backpackers so what do they know about Cockney Slang

Anyway you generally drop the later word, leaving the listener to complete the phrase, e.g. you would say "Going for a Ruby" not "Going for a Ruby Murray", "Let's have a butchers" and not "Let's have a butcher's hook" and "That's a load of pony" rather than "That's a load of pony and trap".

So you would surely only ask for a "Pint of Nelson"?

I agree. I don't really like any of them to be honest. I just watch out of routine

Well as Im not a cockney, Im going to have to bow to your superior knowledge on the subject

Actually I think that you made a good point, and I agree with you. They aren't as impressive as previous candidates imo.

Same here, I'm not even sure of names or who they belong to. I know of Jim (seemed clever from the beginning), Edna (horrid name), Suzie (because of failing at her so-called superior knowledge last week) and Zoe (that voice last week or the week before sounded like a someone with a bad cold). None of them stand out apart from Jim for the reason I remember his name -despite what happened in last night's episode!

Indeed, there's plenty of rhyming slang that people use without even realising that it's rhyming slang. Butchers and pony you've mentioned. There's also cobblers, barnet, loaf, and the one that's beloved of kids TV presenters - berk (look that one up if you don't know it).


I wouldn't have thought you'd use it at all, to be honest. Especially as there is a beer called "Nelson", so asking for a pint of Nelson would get you that. And asking for a "Nelson Mandela" would most likely just make people think you're a plonker.