Street
cobblers
What does cobblers mean?
Nonsense or rubbish; the shortened form of 'cobbler's awls' = balls.
"He reckons he met the Queen — load of old cobblers."
Origin
Clip of 'cobbler's awls' ('awls' rhymes with 'balls'); widely used to mean nonsense.
Frequently asked questions
What does 'cobblers' mean?
It means nonsense or rubbish, as in 'that's a load of old cobblers'.
Where does 'cobblers' come from?
From Cockney rhyming slang 'cobbler's awls', where 'awls' rhymes with 'balls'. The slang has softened into a mild word for nonsense.
Is 'cobblers' rude?
The original source is crude, but 'cobblers' meaning nonsense is now mild and used freely in everyday British speech.
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