"A load of old cobblers" and variants such as "what a load of cobblers" or just "cobblers!" 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.

Origins

The phrase originated as Cockney rhyming slang where "cobblers" refers to cobbler's

awls Awl may refer to: Tools * Bradawl, a woodworking hand tool for making small holes * Scratch awl, a woodworking layout and point-making tool used to scribe a line * Stitching awl, a tool for piercing holes in a variety of materials such as leathe ...

which rhymes with "balls" ( testicles), as in the exclamation " Balls!" 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

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

for balls dates back to at least the 1930s.

Contemporary use

The term "load of old cobblers" and similar variants only gained wide currency from the 1960s, for instance in British sitcoms such as '' Steptoe and Son'' (1962–74) which featured two rag-and-bone men based in west London. It has also been exported to Australia and other countries to which the British have migrated and according to

Collins Collins may refer to: People Surname Given name * Collins O. Bright (1917–?), Sierra Leonean diplomat * Collins Chabane (1960–2015), South African Minister of Public Service and Administration * Collins Cheboi (born 1987), Kenyan middle- ...

became popular with the tabloid press. Eric Partridge 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, Eric, & Paul Beale (Ed.) (1984)
A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English
'. 8th edition. Abingdon: Routledge. p. 691. . Partridge suggests that a comparison with "cod's wallop" (complete rubbish) is inevitable. In 2016,

Sir James Dyson Sir James Dyson (born 2 May 1947) is a British inventor, industrial designer, farmer, and billionaire entrepreneur who founded Dyson Ltd. He is best known as the inventor of the dual cyclone bagless vacuum cleaner, which works on the princip ...

said that concerns that Britain's international trade would be damaged by Brexit were "absolute cobblers". '' The Guardian'' used the phrase in 2018 to describe comments made by the sports coach

Eddie Jones Edward, Eddie, or Ed Jones may refer to: Architecture * Edward Vason Jones (1909–1980), American neoclassical architect * Edward Jones (English architect) (born 1939), English architect who designed the Saïd Business School * Edward Jones (Wel ...

, saying "Nice try, Eddie, but what a load of old cobblers." In February 2019, '' The Times'' 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

cobbles Cobblestone is a natural building material based on cobble-sized stones, and is used for pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Setts, also called Belgian blocks, are often casually referred to as "cobbles", although a sett is distinct fro ...

with asphalt. In the TV series Yes Minister, the term was used in the episode ''Equal Opportunities'' where the characters are describing what code to use on a letter - "It stands for Consignment of Geriatric Shoe Manufacturers. Load of old cobblers, Minister."https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0751809/quotes/?ref_=tt_trv_qu IMDb

References

External links

{{Wiktionary inline, cobblers British English idioms British slang

Origins

Contemporary use

See also

References

External links