2026: YEAR OF THE 'OSS (HORSE IN COCKNEY)

● 'Oss – horse ● Bogger – troublesome person ● Cob on – sulky. A cob can also mean a sandwich ● Mardeh – sulky ● Gorra – Got a ● Gawd – goodness

there was this ‘oss, and he hated
the bogger cos it always had a cob on.
But the poor sod never saw the sun!

Oo-er! Don’t be so bleddy mardeh!

Does this mean that 2026 is the Year of the 'Oss?

I first read the word during my Master's degree when translating The Magician's Nephew, where one of the main characters, Strawberry, is an East End horse, or 'oss as he calls himself, who becomes Narnia's first pegasus.

'Oss is basically "horse" dropping the H (not only a feature of Cockney, but also of Romance languages), and with a rhotic accent.