Vol. 10 · Portmanteaus ·Late 20th century ·1989
Mockney
mock cockney
- Meaning
- An affected Cockney accent used by someone not from working-class London.
- Source words
- mock + cockney
- Coined by
- unknown (British press)
- Year
- 1989
Background
Aimed at middle-class British public figures adopting a cod-Cockney accent for cultural credibility. Often applied to 1990s Britpop musicians and TV chefs; the word names a specific class tension in British culture.
Late 20th century
Marketing, media, and the early internet. Infomercial, emoticon, workaholic — the coinages name phenomena of mass media and white-collar life. Several predate the decades they're associated with.
Two words, one coinage.
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