We get a lot of questions about TV series which feature Cockney slang. The top two are:

Minder
Only Fools and Horses
The Sweeney

Because these series are repeated continuously all round the world, they pick up fans in the strangest places who are often baffled by the Cockney lingo. For example we have a fan of Only Fools and Horses who writes to us from Alabama quite regularly to decipher DelBoy's sayings.

Anyway, Jack wrote to us recently with this question about the prhase "Peter", meaning a safe or vault, from The Sweeney:

"I bought the box set of 'The Sweeney' recently and am slowly working my way through them all. Twice in the episode 'Stay Lucky Eh?' they used the slang 'peter' to refer to a safe (or possibly, 'vault') that was broken into. This was a bit confusing as one of the main characters was also called Peter! Anyway, I cannot find a translation for this anywhere online and feel sure that it must be rhymning slang as the show used it extensively. Can you help? Thanks!"

With a bit of help from Eric and Google, we came up with this:

There's no doubt that Peter does mean a safe. It used to be such a common phrase that is was not considered slang - "peter" was simply the word for a
safe or trunk.

The origins are unclear. There is speculation that it could come from the Biblical Peter - either because safes were frequently netted by thieves (placed in a net a hauled away) or because Peter is the Greek word for rock, and the safes were supposed to be rock solid.

St Peter was called "the rock" by Jesus, and the rock upon which Christianity was built. What's more, St Peter is supposed to hold the keys to kingdom of heaven - St Peter the keeper adds credibility to the theory that Peter for "safe" is derived from St Peter.

It dates from the 1600s but was in common usage during the 20th Century.

If you have any more info let us know.

Dawn asks:

"Can anyone tell me where the term ruby murray (meaning curry) came from, as my brothers unfortunate enough to have a name that sounds a lot like ruby murray so ive been wondering bout this for years!"

Ruby Murray is classic Cockney Rhyming Slang for curry. I can tell you that around these parts "going out for a Ruby" is a most popular pastime. That's probably why there are so many Indian restaurants in London called simply "The Ruby".

Ruby Murray was a popular singer in the 40s and 50s. There is a web site dedicated to her: http://www.rubymurray.org/

I wonder though if her name lives on through Cockney Rhyming Slang more than in does through her music?

We get a lot of interest from Down Under in our rhyming slang. Maybe it's because in the land of Fosters and XXXX they have their own rhyming slang. Some say that we exported our slang to Oz when we exported our criminals to the penal colonies. A very plausible theory I guess.

Anyway Jo from Oz, recently wrote in with this:

"Hi, whilst on a recent trip to UK I displayed my knowledge of rhyming slang and got laughted out of the pub with "ducks and geese".... "police".... clearly I have heard this somewhere - any ideas???

PS. I'm an Aussie!!"

Well Jo we believe your mistake is an easy one to make because Ducks and Geese is AUSTRALIAN rhyming slang, not Cockney Rhyming Slang. Now, there are many overlaps but the Aussie slang is its own lingo.

Here's a good list of basic Australian Rhyming Slang.

http://www.geocities.com/napavalley/4699/rhyming.htm

Evidence of a much wider variety of Cockney slang for money is reaching us. For  example David Campbell writes:

"In the 50's, we had a lodger who came from the East End, and was very well versed in things cockney. I asked him about money, amongst other things, and remember a marigold being a 3d, a Joey being 4d, a deener, a sprat,(I think 6d),a bob, 1 shilling. I think a half-crown was a tosheroon."

And Lee explains the derivation of "Monkey" meaning £500:

"a monkey was on the old 500 rupee note back in the raj".

And Guy Westbrook writes:

Legem Pone

"payment of money, cash down," 1573, from first two words of the fifth division (HE) of Psalm 119, which begins the psalms at Matins on the 25th of the month; consequently associated with March 25, a quarter day in the old financial calendar, when payments and debts came due.

(Legem pone mihi Domine viam iustificationum tuarum: et exquiram eam semper.)

Thanks everyone.