176:
501:
31:
39:
57:
is
British slang for "what nonsense" that is derived from the Cockney rhyming slang for "balls" (testicles) of "cobbler's awls". The phrase began to be widely used from the 1960s and is still in use but has become less offensive over time as its origins have been forgotten.
126:
and his successors mention that the phrase and its cousin "cobblers to you!" is often used by people unaware of its vulgar origins and has become less offensive. Partridge suggests that a comparison with "cod's wallop" (complete rubbish) is inevitable.
150:
used it in a comparison of beauty products, saying "Whether or not you think crystals are a load of old cobblers, I guarantee you'll fall hook line and sinker ..." It has also been used as a pun in a headline after builders covered
164:, the term was used in the episode "Equal Opportunities" where the characters are describing what code to use on a letter - "CGSM. It stands for Consignment of Geriatric Shoe Manufacturers. Load of old cobblers, Minister."
424:
86:!" for "Nonsense!". The use of the rhyme allows a taboo word, in this case the vulgar exclamation "balls!", to be avoided. The use of "cobblers" as a
406:
112:
based in west London. It has also been exported to
Australia and other countries to which the British have migrated and according to
269:
467:
394:
340:
313:
448:
210:
17:
283:
224:
522:
98:
The term "load of old cobblers" and similar variants only gained wide currency from the 1960s, for instance in
175:
134:
said that concerns that
Britain's international trade would be damaged by Brexit were "absolute cobblers".
113:
141:
471:
385:
243:
527:
484:
330:
303:
67:
8:
216:
390:
336:
309:
279:
220:
360:
109:
505:
131:
104:
356:
144:, saying "Nice try, Eddie, but what a load of old cobblers." In February 2019,
123:
99:
516:
181:
117:
75:
160:
136:
500:
71:
30:
140:
used the phrase in 2018 to describe comments made by the sports coach
83:
275:
146:
79:
425:"Just when England rugby needs clarity the waters have been muddied"
189:
152:
87:
305:
The New
Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English
38:
485:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0751809/quotes/?ref_=tt_trv_qu
407:
Sir James Dyson dismisses Brexit trade fears as 'cobblers'.
301:
171:
308:(2nd ed.). Abingdon: Routledge. p. 502.
514:
386:A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English
383:Partridge, Eric, & Paul Beale (Ed.) (1984)
449:Five of the best rose quartz beauty products.
328:
389:. 8th edition. Abingdon: Routledge. p. 691.
90:for balls dates back to at least the 1930s.
455:, 14 February 2109. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
475:, 18 January 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
302:Dalzell, Tom; Terry Victor, eds. (2013).
238:
236:
202:
335:. 4th edition. Bloomsbury. p. 102.
37:
29:
416:
14:
515:
422:
413:, 11 June 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
379:
377:
297:
295:
233:
208:
322:
267:
451:Alice Barnett & Hannah Skelley,
374:
292:
212:The Wordsworth Dictionary of Idioms
93:
24:
423:Kitson, Robert (18 October 2018).
25:
539:
494:
499:
332:Dictionary of Contemporary Slang
174:
478:
461:
442:
400:
349:
261:
13:
1:
504:The dictionary definition of
468:"What a load of old cobblers"
195:
108:(1962–74) which featured two
7:
167:
78:which rhymes with "balls" (
70:where "cobblers" refers to
10:
544:
209:Manser, Martin H. (2006).
82:), as in the exclamation "
61:
248:www.collinsdictionary.com
244:"Definition of cobblers'"
215:. Revised edition. Ware:
66:The phrase originated as
51:"what a load of cobblers"
116:became popular with the
47:"A load of old cobblers"
472:Manchester Evening News
457:(subscription required)
523:British English idioms
329:Thorne, Tony. (2014).
268:Allan, Keith. (2014).
43:
35:
68:Cockney rhyming slang
49:and variants such as
41:
33:
219:. pp. 100–101.
18:Load of old cobblers
409:Press Association,
217:Wordsworth Editions
34:A shoemaker in 1861
271:Linguistic Meaning
44:
36:
27:British slang term
395:978-1-317-37252-3
342:978-1-4081-0220-6
315:978-1-317-37252-3
158:In the TV series
16:(Redirected from
535:
503:
488:
482:
476:
465:
459:
458:
446:
440:
439:
437:
435:
420:
414:
404:
398:
381:
372:
371:
369:
367:
361:World Wide Words
353:
347:
346:
326:
320:
319:
299:
290:
289:
265:
259:
258:
256:
254:
240:
231:
230:
206:
184:
179:
178:
110:rag-and-bone men
94:Contemporary use
21:
543:
542:
538:
537:
536:
534:
533:
532:
513:
512:
497:
492:
491:
483:
479:
466:
462:
456:
447:
443:
433:
431:
421:
417:
405:
401:
382:
375:
365:
363:
355:
354:
350:
343:
327:
323:
316:
300:
293:
286:
278:. p. 251.
266:
262:
252:
250:
242:
241:
234:
227:
207:
203:
198:
180:
173:
170:
132:Sir James Dyson
105:Steptoe and Son
100:British sitcoms
96:
64:
42:Shoemaking awls
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
541:
531:
530:
525:
510:at Wiktionary
496:
495:External links
493:
490:
489:
477:
460:
441:
415:
399:
373:
348:
341:
321:
314:
291:
284:
260:
232:
225:
200:
199:
197:
194:
193:
192:
186:
185:
169:
166:
155:with asphalt.
124:Eric Partridge
95:
92:
63:
60:
26:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
540:
529:
528:British slang
526:
524:
521:
520:
518:
511:
509:
508:
502:
486:
481:
474:
473:
469:
464:
454:
450:
445:
430:
426:
419:
412:
408:
403:
396:
392:
388:
387:
380:
378:
362:
358:
352:
344:
338:
334:
333:
325:
317:
311:
307:
306:
298:
296:
287:
285:9781134742448
281:
277:
273:
272:
264:
249:
245:
239:
237:
228:
226:9781840224917
222:
218:
214:
213:
205:
201:
191:
188:
187:
183:
182:London portal
177:
172:
165:
163:
162:
156:
154:
149:
148:
143:
139:
138:
133:
128:
125:
121:
119:
118:tabloid press
115:
111:
107:
106:
101:
91:
89:
85:
81:
77:
73:
69:
59:
56:
52:
48:
40:
32:
19:
506:
498:
480:
470:
463:
452:
444:
432:. Retrieved
429:The Guardian
428:
418:
411:The Guardian
410:
402:
384:
364:. Retrieved
351:
331:
324:
304:
270:
263:
251:. Retrieved
247:
211:
204:
161:Yes Minister
159:
157:
145:
137:The Guardian
135:
129:
122:
103:
97:
65:
54:
50:
46:
45:
142:Eddie Jones
55:"cobblers!"
517:Categories
357:"Cobblers"
274:. London:
196:References
453:The Times
276:Routledge
147:The Times
130:In 2016,
80:testicles
507:cobblers
190:Bollocks
168:See also
102:such as
53:or just
153:cobbles
114:Collins
88:synonym
72:cobbler
62:Origins
393:
339:
312:
282:
223:
487:IMDb
434:7 May
366:7 May
253:7 May
84:Balls
436:2019
391:ISBN
368:2019
337:ISBN
310:ISBN
280:ISBN
255:2019
221:ISBN
76:awls
74:'s
519::
427:.
376:^
359:.
294:^
246:.
235:^
120:.
438:.
397:.
370:.
345:.
318:.
288:.
257:.
229:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
