News

Need to use a London ATM? Don't forget your 'barrel of lard.'

April 18, 2012

If you're fortunate enough to be crossing the pond this summer for the London Olympics, you'll want to have plenty of sausage and mash. Maybe some speckled hens and a few ponies.

We refer not to the fare of the local pub, but to the ATMs of the Bank Machine Company, where, once you've inserted your rattle and tank ("bank") card you can request to conduct your mash ("cash") transaction using Cockney slang.

According to a story from the BBC, the idea for allowing customers to use the rhyming London lingo for their ATM transactions came from Ron Delnevo of the Bank Machine Company. "When someone suggested cockney they were only joking," he told the BBC. "But I thought why not?"

So what started out as a passing remark is now a bona fide feature of 30 BMC ATMs, the BBC story said. And in advance of the London Olympics, the company plans to expand the fleet even further.

Delnevo said the Cockney ATM not only entertains users, but also provides some local flavor. "It helps foster a bit of British culture," he told the BBC.

For the benefit of Yankees and other "foreign language" speakers, the BBC provided a handy reference for Cockney banking slang. Some samples:

• Barrel of lard (card)
• Cab rank (bank)
• Horn of plenty (£20)
• Huckleberry Finn (PIN)
• Lady Godiva (£5)
• Sausage and mash (cash)
• Speckled hen (£10)