Day 2: Determined to save some bees

When visiting London, I frequently asked my friend, Colin, to translate the British slang. I was quite thrown off when his mom asked, “Fancy a fag?” A moment later she revealed a pack of cigarettes. Later his 10-year-old sister pointed to the minger outside their flat. “What’s a minga?” I asked. She giggled as Colin explained the boy was an ugly, irritating bloke. Over a pint, I met his brother, who exposed me to rhyming slang in his thick Cockney dialect. “Can you slow down?” “Can you spell that?” “You fell down the apple-and-pears? Come again?” Quite the charming house guest I was.

Thanks to the variety of loan officers I’ve spoken to about my mortgage, I feel like I’m back in London again. I practically need a translator to decipher the gobbledygook. Unfortunately, the several hundred quid I’m parting with isn’t for airfare, a tour guide or a week-long pass for The Tube.

Needless to say, my head is spinning as I strive to find the best deal and save some bees (and honey). That’d be money.

Have some fun: Cockney rhyming slang translator

Or learn the language: West Michigan Mortgage Help Glossary, Arbor Mortgage FAQs