Ruby Murray

Probably one of the more common of Cockney rhyming slang in everyday use.

Ruby Murray

Ruby Murray herself was born in 1935 and was something of a child star in her native Belfast.

By 1955 she was number one in the British singles chart with Softly Softly. She held a record of 5 records in the top 20 of the charts, a record that no other female artist has even matched. Her chart career was overtaken by the advent of rock & roll and the more commercial pop songs of the 60s but she remained a popular touring artist.

A Ruby Murray as Cockney rhyming slang for Britain's most famous food, the curry made it in 2005 into the Oxford English dictionary.

Ruby died in 1996 and her name was synonymous with the dish then, whether she was pleased with being remembered for having a name that rhymed rather than her singing career is unclear.