General
dustbin lids
What does dustbin lids mean?
Used generally for any gaggle of youngsters underfoot.
"There's a load of dustbins kicking a ball about in the road."
Origin
Mid-twentieth-century East End rhyming slang built on the humble household dustbin, a fixture of pre-wheelie-bin London streets; it belongs to the family-and-home strand of Cockney coinage that grew up after the patter Hotten first catalogued in 1859.
Frequently asked questions
What does dustbin lids mean?
It's Cockney rhyming slang for kids. 'Lids' rhymes with 'kids', and it's often shortened to just 'dustbins'.
Is there another rhyming slang for kids?
Yes — 'saucepan lids' is a common alternative, working the same rhyme on 'lids' and 'kids'.
Where did dustbin lids come from?
From everyday East End life, where the metal dustbin was a street fixture; the rhyme on 'kids' is a classic domestic coinage.
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