English Reference
Idiom idiom

rattle and clank

Slang Cockney rhyming slang · East London

bank


SIMPLE

“The old car begins to rattle and clank when I drive fast.”

CONTEXTUAL

“Every time the ancient heater starts up, it begins to rattle and clank, keeping the whole house awake.”

COMPLEX

“The rusted machinery, abandoned for decades in the damp cellar, began to rattle and clank as the gears finally turned once more.”


Suggestive of the busy handling of coins.


Related idioms5entries
  1. 01

    bank night

    An event where patrons are enticed to buy entry tickets into some venue, for example a movie theater, with the anticipation that they will be entered into a drawing to win an amount of money if their ticket is drawn and they are on-site at the time of the winning.

  2. 02

    break the bank

    To exhaust one's financial resources.

  3. 03

    cry all the way to the bank

    To be happy due to the receipt of money, but sad about the cause.

  4. 04

    laugh all the way to the bank

    To make a large income easily, especially at the expense of others or by doing something that lacks significant merit or effort.

  5. 05

    take to the bank

    To utterly trust, believe, or rely on.

Last updated June 7, 2026