Cockney kettles

[RECA123]

I have found the answer "otter" as being a "cockney kettle" but despite googling this can't for the life of me work out why - or even if it is the right answer. Can anyone explain this to me please? Thank you.

[nilesquimby]

Usually with "cockney" you drop the h in cryptic. Therefore hotter is otter!

[RECA123]

Oh ok ... thanks so much for that nilesquimby.

[Postdog]

as a cockney, I have never ever heard this, but maybe water otter, and so, a kettle.

HOWEVER if a cockney says kettle, he actually means watch. It is derived from kettle and hob, which rhymes with fob, and fob watches were in existence when this originated.

[nilesquimby]

Postdog... the kettle is the hotter (as in warms things up)...the cockney means drop the "h" as in how cockneys speak (drop the h).

[Postdog]

It was asked what is a cockney kettle, or put another way, what is a kettle in cockney, which is why I said that.

[nilesquimby]

Fair enough, postdog. I was just explaining why it is so cryptically. :-))

[RECA123]

Hello Postdog ... the only reference I could find as to what a kettle was in cockney was a watch and I knew that answer wasn't what I was after so now understand the "kettle & hob" rhyming slang explanation ... have to admit it had me baffled for ages when I just kept finding "watch" as the answer.
Then I kept coming across the word "otter" but couldn't fathom it out so many thanks to nilesquimby for helping me out with that one.

[Dee Sa]

I am a cockney & Kettle has always been a watch.

[Dee Sa]

Postdog where u born within the sound of Bow Bells too ?
My mother who was Geordie brought up in Wales [ had a most unusual accent] and my dad was from Stoke on Trent but a right pair of snobs, I was due to be born in a private nursing home in Essex when it all went pear shaped with complicatons and they transfered my poor mum to Stratford Maternity in East London apparently she has hysterics on the way !
Dee

[columbus]

Evidently, there will be few if any cockneys in the future, as there is no maternity unit within the sound of Bow Bells. Good Riddance I say