I Swear English › Vocabulary A–Z › Trouble and Strife
What does ‘Trouble and Strife’ mean?
Use: British slang · informal · a joking expression
Trouble and strife is a rhyming substitute for wife. The final word, strife /straɪf/, rhymes with wife /waɪf/.
“Will your wife be joining us?” “Yes, the trouble and strife will be here at eight.”
The second speaker is referring to his wife, not reporting an argument. You may also hear my trouble and strife or the old trouble and strife.
How the joke works
Cockney rhyming slang replaces a word with a phrase that rhymes with it. Here the phrase also suggests that married life brings problems. That double meaning makes it a joke rather than a neutral synonym.
You do not need to put on an accent to understand it. In ordinary conversation, my wife is clearer and works in more situations.
Is it affectionate or insulting?
That depends on the speaker, listener and relationship. It can be familiar teasing, but it can also sound dismissive of someone’s wife. Recognising the expression is useful; using it about another person’s partner without knowing how it will be received is less wise.
When the words are literal
Strife means serious disagreement or conflict. In The dispute brought years of trouble and strife, the words describe difficulties. Nobody’s wife is being named. The surrounding sentence tells you whether the phrase is literal or rhyming slang.
For another rhyme in the vocabulary collection, see Ruby Murray.
Watch: ‘Trouble and Strife’ explained
Original lesson by iswearenglish · Watch on YouTube
Video note
Try it yourself
Choose an answer for each question. Check your choices, or open the answer notes to compare them yourself.
Answer notes
- I’ll ask my wife. Strife rhymes with wife.
- Problems and conflict. This is literal use, not a name for a person.
- My wife. The slang versions add a joke that may not suit the listener or occasion.
Usage references: Cambridge: trouble and strife, Cambridge: strife.
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