Zendaya “Loves” Tom Holland’s British Accent, But “Will Never” Understand His Slang

Over the past month, Zendaya and Tom Holland have spent some serious quality time in Tom’s home city of London. and even though Z is dating our friendliest neighborhood Brit, she definitely still needs a handbook to popular British slang for her trips across the pond. Despite being pretty familiar with her boyfriend’s place of birth, Z says she occasionally needs a little help demystifying some of Tom’s favorite lingo.

“I love the ­British accent, but as much as Tom tries to explain it to me, I will never understand rhyming slang,” the Euphoria actor told The Sun of her confusion. “Like I understand the concept — but what do apples and pears have to do with stairs? It’s cute when he tells me all the different phrases — but I really don’t get it!”

Cockney slang often uses rhyming words in place of the actual word, like “apples and pears” for stairs and “bees and honey” for money. (Here’s a good primer to get you started, as most of us don’t have the privilege to learn the lingo directly from Tom Holland himself.)

Zendaya and Tom Holland in London, England in December 2021 GETTY IMAGES

While in the U.K. this past month, the couple enjoyed some downtime, grabbing groceries and coffee before heading out for a stroll. They also spent some time enjoying historical sights and scenery, going on the dreamiest outing that seems straight out of a British rom-com: an after-hours royal castle date. (Swoon.) Tom and Z toured Henry VIII’s Hampton Court Palace while it was closed to the public, and even posed for pics on the iconic castle grounds.

While Zendaya and Tom Holland do get photographed out and about fairly frequently, the couple doesn’t discuss their relationship publicly very often. Zendaya made a rare acknowledgement of their relationship on Tom’s 26th birthday, writing on Instagram and telling the world that the Spider-Man star makes her the “happiest.” Is there rhyming slang for “I love you?”

[via]