noun General Slang

Syrup Of Figs

/ˌsɪrəp əv ˈfɪɡz/ · noun · slang

Cockney for wig — 'syrup of figs' rhymes with wig, clipped to a 'syrup'.

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Definitions

1

A wig or hairpiece. 'Syrup of figs' rhymes with 'wig', and is clipped to 'syrup', dropping the rhyme.

“You can tell that's a syrup of figs a mile off.”
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2

Used mockingly of an obvious or ill-fitting hairpiece.

“Lovely fella, shame about the syrup.”
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3

Clipped to 'syrup', a toupee or false head of hair.

“The wind nearly had his syrup off in the car park.”
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Syrup Of Figs In A Sentence

He never goes out without his syrup of figs.
That's never his real hair, it's a syrup.
The telly host's syrup slipped live on air.

Origin & Usage

Twentieth-century East End rhyming slang on 'wig', borrowing the name of Syrup of Figs, a once-common laxative familiar from every chemist; product-name rhymes are typical of Cockney, within the slang tradition recorded since Hotten 1859.

Variants syrup
Tags #cockney#rhyming#british#uk#body

People Also Ask

What does syrup of figs mean in Cockney?

It means a wig. 'Figs' rhymes with 'wig', and it's shortened to 'syrup'.

Why 'syrup of figs'?

It borrows the name of a once-popular laxative everyone knew from the chemist, giving a ready rhyme for 'wig'.

Is syrup for wig still used?

Yes, 'syrup' for a wig or toupee is one of the better-known surviving rhyming-slang terms.

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