Hey, flashers! Er… flash fictioners. 🙂
This week’s contest is brought to you by Steph Ellis, who decided to take the contest in a slightly different direction this week. Enjoy!
Language is a wonderful thing and the English language in particular is a bizarre beast to the extent that I often feel sorry for those who try to learn it. With our use of idioms, colloquialisms and regional slang we often flummox visitors to our shores and cause no end of confusion. One particular delight is Cockney Rhyming Slang, born in the East End of London, and elements of which are still widely used in everyday conversation, albeit in an often abbreviated form. My favourite is ‘Donkeys’, which I use a lot (as in ‘I haven’t seen him in donkeys’); this is from Donkeys Ears meaning years. And no, I’m not a Cockney.
So this week I have not included a character – that is totally up to you – what I have done is give you a phrase which you can include either literally as an object, eg ‘He picked up a loaf of bread to make a sandwich’ or in its more figurative sense, eg ‘He used his loaf and came up with a great plan’.
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You can find definitions of these terms – and more – at http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/cockney-rhyming-slang.html
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And what I’d really like to know is – do other countries have idioms or bizarre turns of phrase?
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Slightly different this week, our contest will begin with three things: Cockney slang, setting, and genre.
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We spun, and our three elements are Cockney slang: mince pies, setting: Rome, and genre: romance.
Feel free to write a story using those or spin a new set of your own. Be sure to include which three elements you’re using.
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- China Plate
- Butcher’s Hook
- Mince Pies
- Brown Bread
- Pen and Ink
- Loaf of Bread
- London
- Paris
- Washington
- Rome
- Moscow
- New Delhi
- horror
- sci-fi
- steam punk
- mystery
- fantasy
- romance
- drama
- comedy
- poem
Judging this week are last week’s winners, Geoff Holme and Voima Oy. 🙂
All submissions should be 100 words in length, give or take 10 words (90 – 110 words). You have until midnight, New York time to submit.
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Winners will receive a copy of the Kindle version of Pygmalion
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If you like, you may incorporate the following photo prompt (not required).
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