Style Reader

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"In Victorian London, Cockney rhyming slang was used as a secret 'insider' language to confuse outsiders, especially peelers (the police) and toffs (the nobility or gentry). Cockney expressions have changed over time, but many remain exactly as they were in 1888, when Jack the Ripper terrorized London. The premise is this: A phrase that rhymes with the word a Cockney means is used to convey the word. The most famous example is "apples and pears". Often the rhyming word is dropped, so that "pears" (which rhymed with "stairs") is omitted, leaving only apples. "I'm climbing the apples."

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"Cockney accents can still be heard in London as well as all across England. But in the 19th century, a true Cockney--with the right to use the secret rhyming slang--was someone born within earshot of the church bells of St. Mary le Bow, the area in London where Jack the Ripper stalked his victims."

MORE THAN A MILLION COPIES IN PRINT! 

An instant bestseller when it was first published in Japan, Train Man became a multimedia sensation, generating a smash-hit TV series, a blockbuster film, and multiple manga series. Now here’s the novel that started it all. 

TRAIN MAN

Boy–bashful and not overly brave–defends girl from obnoxious drunk on a Tokyo train. Girl sends boy a thank-you pair of pricey Hermés teacups. Boy’s a geek and doesn’t know what to do next. End of story for most nerds–but this one turns to the world’s largest online message board and asks for help, so for him it’s just the beginning. This matchless love story is told through a series of Internet chat room threads. As Train Man, our hero charts his progress and unveils each new crisis–from making conversation to deciding what to wear on a date and beyond–in return, he receives advice, encouragement, warnings, and sympathy from the anonymous netizens. And Train Man discovers the secret to what makes the world go round–and proves we really do live in a universe where anything can happen. (From Goodreads)