England: Bring your 'bladder of lard': These ATMs only speak cockney
鈥� A local, slice-of-life story from a Monitor correspondent.
LONDON 鈥� Ever wanted to withdraw some 鈥渂read and honey鈥� at an ATM? Or simply check your balance on the 鈥�Charlie Sheen鈥�?
If such terms mean anything to you, then chances are you鈥檙e familiar with cockney rhyming slang, the colorful quasi-dialect of London鈥檚 East End, where a cluster of cash machines now offer the option of making transactions in the often impenetrable slang.
Customers will be asked to enter their 鈥�Huckleberry Finn鈥� instead of their PIN in order for the ATM to read their 鈥渂ladder of lard鈥� (card). They will then be asked if they want to withdraw 鈥渟ausage and mash鈥� (cash), before being offered denominations including a 鈥渟peckled hen鈥� (10).
Despite some mystery, the origins of the slang are thought to lie with market traders who used short rhyming phrases as a code to communicate.
Ron Delnevo, managing director of Bank Machine, the ATM operator behind the project, said: 鈥淔inancial services has seen so much gloom recently that we decided to do this for a bit of fun.鈥�
