Cockney Alphabet
The Cockney Alphabet is a recital of the English alphabet intended to parody the way the alphabet is taught to small working class children. The ostensible humour comes from forming unexpected words and phrases from the names of the various letters of the alphabet, mocking the way people from East London speak. Cockney is a name given to the working class of East London by the middle and upper classes. Clapham and Dwyer version. In 1936, the comedy double act Clapham and Dwyer recorded the following version, entitled "A Surrealist Alphabet": Alternative versions. There are many alternative 'definitions ' offered for each letter, some of which include: Naming a dog "Deefer" (as was common in the '50s) is an example of the reverse of this phenomenon, based on interpreting the line "D for dog" in an everyday alphabet verse as "deefer dog". "Ceefer" as a name for a cat also appeared in Australia after the Second World War (C for cat) influenced by returning servicemen from England who had been exposed to the humour of the Cockney Alphabet.