Rosie Lee

English

Alternative forms

rosie lee, Rosy Lee, Rosey Lee, Rosie Lea

Etymology

Originally military slang.

Noun

Rosie Lee (uncountable)

(Cockney rhyming slang) Tea (drink).
Synonym: (ellipsis) Rosie

I'll put the kettle on and make us a cup of Rosie Lee.
- 2007, Rhys Bowen, Her Royal Spyness, page 203:
  “ […] Nice cup of Rosie Lee?” he asked, using the Cockney tradition of rhyming slang.
- 2016, Chris Graham, Five Minutes of Amazing: My Journey Through Dementia, London: Sphere, →ISBN, page 10:
  Seated at our map-covered dining table, Vicks and I drank umpteen cups of Rosy Lee as we worked out the best route to take me across seven provinces in Canada and through twenty-six US states, following the coastline as much as possible.

Further reading

Jonathon Green (2023), “rosie (lea) n.”, in Green's Dictionary of Slang

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