Depending on which English speaking country one resides, this item varies its physical state from a solid to a liquid to a powder. Its spelling differs from one nation to another, but etymologically speaking they all originate from Persia. What is it, and what mode of transport does it have connotations with in Cockney slang?

lanfranco

Well, this just has to be "sherbet." In Cockney rhyming slang, a "sherbet dab" is a taxi cab: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherbet Mar 27 07, 6:29 PM

peasypod

Course it is, and I spell it 'sherbert', but pronounce it sher-bet. It's also a fizzy powder for me, and never a beverage or icecream. Revolting stuff, actually. Wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. Mar 27 07, 6:44 PM

lanfranco

When I was a child in the midwestern U.S., "sherbert" or "sherbet" was the term used for a "fruit ice" that wasn't quite comparable to a "sorbet" -- I think it contained a bit of milk or cream. The awful fizzy powder wasn't called sherbert at all, though we had some examples of it. It tasted like chemicals, and someone I knew once joked that people who loved it were going to start glowing in the dark. Mar 27 07, 6:53 PM

What-A-Mess

Luckily, I can provide you with an Eleven foot pole so you do not have to miss out! ;-) Mar 27 07, 7:03 PM

gmackematix

Here in the UK it has always been spelt "sherbet" but pronounced to rhyme with Herbert. I must say that I could just eat that sorbet pictured in the Wiki article on "Sherbet (US)"... Mar 27 07, 7:30 PM

peasypod

That, yes. The 'Wizz Fizz' (Yes, take it literally if you like) I'm familiar with is just vile. Mar 27 07, 7:34 PM