18 MARCH 1960, Page 15

RHYMING SLANG

SIR,—1 am sure Cyril Ray is right about the deriva- tion of the word 'scarper.' In 1927, 1 came across a word having the same% meaning in use among buskers in London's West End. It was pronounced ‘sedrparee,' with the emphasis on the penultimate sYllable. This word was part of a skeletal language —obviously Romance in most of its derivations— Which the buskers used in order to communicate among, themselves without being understood by others present. I suppose that this language is the same as the 'parlyaree' of the Victorian fairgrounds mentioned by Mr. Ray.--Yours faithfully,

CHRISTOPHER HALL Fiat 2.10 South Hill Park Gardens, NW3