noun General Slang

Lady Godiva

/ˌleɪdi ɡəˈdaɪvə/ · noun · slang

Cockney for a fiver — Lady Godiva rhymes with five-er, so a fiver becomes a 'Lady'.

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Definitions

1

By extension, used loosely for a small, manageable sum of cash handed over in a hurry.

“He slipped the doorman a Lady to skip the queue.”
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2

A five-pound note. The full form 'Lady Godiva' rhymes with 'fiver', and in true Cockney fashion the rhyming word is dropped, leaving just 'Lady' to do the work.

“Lend us a Lady Godiva till Friday and I'll see you right.”
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3

Clipped to 'Lady', the term means a fiver among those in the know, the rhyme having been quietly buried so outsiders can't follow.

“That'll be three Ladies, mate, call it fifteen quid.”
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Lady Godiva In A Sentence

I'm a Lady Godiva short on the rent this week.
Stick a Lady on the horse in the third and let it ride.
She found a crumpled Lady down the back of the sofa.

Origin & Usage

Twentieth-century East End rhyming slang playing on Lady Godiva, the legendary eleventh-century noblewoman of Coventry; the rhyme on 'fiver' postdates decimal-era banknote slang and sits in the wider Cockney money tradition documented from Hotten's 1859 'Dictionary of Modern Slang'.

Variants Ladya Lady Godiva
Tags #cockney#rhyming#british#uk#money

People Also Ask

What does Lady Godiva mean in Cockney?

It means a fiver, a five-pound note. 'Godiva' rhymes with 'fiver', and the rhyming word is dropped so people just say 'a Lady'.

Why is it shortened to just 'Lady'?

Classic rhyming slang hides the clue. Speakers drop the rhyming word ('Godiva'/'fiver') and keep the harmless-sounding part, so only insiders catch the meaning.

Is Lady Godiva still used today?

It survives among older East Enders and in pub and market patter, though it's more heritage than everyday now.

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