Slang in England, especially in the East End of London, is like a secret code designed to confuse outsiders and make life sound way more fun. If you were born within earshot of the bells of St Mary-le-Bow Church (aka the legendary Bow Bells), congratulations, you’re officially a cockney! The East End is famous for its Pearly Kings and Queens, their blinged-out outfits and of course, their love of cockney rhyming slang. It’s like a linguistic puzzle where “apples and pears” means stairs. So, if someone says, “I’m just going upt the apples” don’t expect to see any fruit, they’re just going upstairs.
Now, when it comes to darts, some terms come straight from this cheeky slang, others have a bit of history behind them, and the rest are just… well, obvious. But let’s be real, half the fun of darts is trying to figure out what on earth everyone’s talking about. Is it a game or a language lesson? Who knows!