Rock English

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

The mixed patois of Spanish and English spoken by natives at Gibraltar —

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “Rock English” mean?

The mixed patois of Spanish and English spoken by natives at Gibraltar —

Is “Rock English” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.