Polari, The Forgotten Gay Language

When homosexuality was illegal up until 1967 the Gay Community had to use own language.

Since LGBTI+ people have recently been able to exist more openly in society without fear of persecution by the state we have been able to talk openly about express our feelings and personalities in public. But this has not always been the case. Homosexuality was driven so far underground in the United Kingdom that many turned to a new, secretive yet expressive form of communication.

Polari first came about in the theatre and the gay subculture in Britain in the 1950s and 1960s, becoming more widely known from its hidden use by camp radio characters in a popular BBC radio show which ran from 1964 to 1969. It grew up primarily to disguise homosexual activity from potentially hostile outsiders (such as undercover policemen), but also because many gay men worked in entertainment (including circuses, hence the many borrowings from Romany in Polari). It was also used extensively in the Merchant Navy, where many gay men joined cruise ships (particularly P&O) as waiters, stewards and entertainers. It was mainly used by camp or effeminate gay men, who tended to come from working class backgrounds. In a sense, they had the least to lose by being “out”.

Polari had begun to fall into disuse by the late 1960s, the popularity of Julian and Sandy ensured that this secret language was public property, and the gay liberationists of the 1970s viewed it as rather degrading, divisive and politically incorrect (a lot of it was used to gossip about or criticise people, as well as discussing sexual exploits). Since the mid-1990s, with the redistribution of tapes and CDs of Round the Horne and increasing academic interest, Polari was undergone a slight revival. It will probably never die out completely, but new words are continually being invented and updated to refer to more recent cultural concepts – for example, the recent term “Madonna claw” means an old withered hand. In 2002 two books on Polari were published, Polari: The Lost Language of Gay Men, and Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang (both by Paul Baker).

Polari Dictionary

ajax = nearby (from adjacent?)
basket = the bulge of male genitals through clothes
batts = shoes
bijou = small
bod = body
bold = daring
bona = good
butch = masculine; masculine lesbian
camp = effeminate (origin: KAMP = Known As Male Prostitute)
capello = hat
carts/cartso = penis
carsey = toilet, also spelt khazi
chicken = younger male
charper = search
charpering omi = policeman
cod = naff, vile
cottage = public loo (particularly with reference to cottaging)
cottaging = having or looking for sex in a cottage
crimper = hairdresser
dish = an attractive male; buttocks
dizzy = scatterbrained
dolly = pretty, nice, pleasant
drag = clothes, esp. women’s clothes
ecaf = face (backslang)
eek = face (abbreviation of ecaf)
ends = hair
esong = nose
fantabulosa = wonderful
feele = child
fruit = queen
gelt = money
glossies = magazines
handbag money
hoofer = dancer
jarry = food, also mangarie
kaffies = trousers
khazi = toilet, also spelt carsey
lallies = legs
latty room, = house or flat
lills = hands
lilly = police (Lilly Law)
luppers = fingers
mangarie = food, also jarry
measures = money
meese = plain, ugly (from Yiddish)
meshigener = nutty, crazy, mental
metzas = money
mince = walk (affectedly)
naff bad, = drab (from Not Available For Fucking)
nanti = not, no
national handbag = dole
nishta = nothing, no
oglefakes = glasses
ogles = eyes
omi = man
omi-polone = effeminate man, or homosexual
onk = nose
orbs = eyes
palare pipe = telephone
palliass = back (as in cpart of body)
park = give
plate = feet; to fellate
polari = chat, talk
polone w= oman
pots = teeth
riah/riha = hair
riah shusher = hairdresser
scarper = to run off (from Italian scappare, to escape)
scotch = leg
sharpy = policeman
shush = steal (from client)
shush = bag holdall
shyker/shyckle = wig
slap = makeup
strillers = piano
thews = thighs
trade = sex
troll = to walk about (esp. looking for trade)
vada/varda = see
willets = breasts

What Gay Men Think About Masculinity

Masculinity is a big deal in gay culture. Not only is it a force that crushes many “effeminate” gay men with unnecessary ideals, but it also impels gay men to avoid and disdain other gay men that do not meet their own standards. Studies have shown that the gay male image of masculinity is based strongly on ideals like a muscular and large frame, emotional restriction, and sometimes sexual adventurism. These ideals draw obviously from mainstream societal standards for men, and their impact on gay men probably make a large contribution to the higher incidence of psychological distress and HIV/AIDs in young gay men who are particularly vulnerable to societal pressure.

It’s not just chance encounters that are tarnished by masculine ideals. Research has shown that personal ads placed by gay men seeking other men tend to list masculine ideals like muted emotions and muscularity. Self-descriptions by single gay men will emphasize classically masculine personality traits while neglecting more feminine ones.

If these divisions in the gay community exist as reported, why is it that gay men don’t take the reins back from mainstream culture and stop adding to their own adversity?

Well for one, gay men are already an extremely varied group in terms of how they express gender, and the stress that mainstream culture puts on masculinity in general is unrealistic — but valuing masculinity isn’t inherently harming gay men, per se… at least not enough for anyone to prove it.

Surprisingly, many gay men in social studies done on gay masculinity report being protective of masculine ideals, such as competitiveness and masculine interests, because of their potential to advance one’s success in the workplace.

Positive consequences of conforming to masculine ideals keep gay men seeking men with similar ideals. Personal care that involves fitness rather than fashion, an interest in traditionally male entertainment, and financial security are all factors that singles looking for same-sex partners may have in mind while creating personal ads.

Most of the emphasis on masculinity in gay culture is a consequence of media pressure and traditions that are taking a long time to break, and not deliberate intra-social homophobia. Moving away from such standards involves abandoning the media image of the successful male, and gay men are no more or less responsible for its idolization than the rest of society.

Dr. M. Mirza, gbt health wellness .com – 2014

LGBT+ Historical Influence on Culture

Lately it seems that whenever the LGBT+ community comes up the next thing that someone says has something to do with homophobia. Negativity abounds everywhere.

Evangelicals that oppose homosexuality. The LGBT+ community has really contributed a lot more to the history of our culture than nasty political battles. Although some people try to turn the tables on the LGBT+ community with exasperating stereotypes, it has given modern culture a lot of art. The world of poetry and literature would truly not be the same without Lord Byron, Tennessee Williams, Oscar Wilde, W.H. Auden, Walt Whitman, Audre Lorde, and reputedly Michelangelo as well. Wikipedia has a voluminous listing of gay, lesbian, and bisexual writers that can be referenced at your discretion if you ever feel the urge to guide a conversation about homosexuality away from debate territory.

Inevitably there are bound to be snags in any coffee table discussion of gay contributions to the arts. The more prudish amongst your friends may have objections to gay media stores because collections often include pornography. You’ll have to remind them that most small towns traditionally include an adult video store, and the demand for gay adult media just isn’t as high.

Then of course there are horror stories that come up now and then, like the purported lover’s spat between Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin that ended with Van Gogh removing his ear. Alternate stories about the ear exist, and the art world has always been known for its eccentrics. When straight artists like Jackson Pollack who killed himself and several other passengers in a drunk driving accident still get counted among the best, using Van Gogh’s unrequited love for Gauguin against him is just callous anyway.

Though this probably receives more attention than it should, let’s not forget that LGBT+ culture has influenced fashion. Hyper-feminine styles adopted by cross-dressers have a history of finding their way into mainstream fashion with new life thanks in large part to the LGBT+ community. Many fashion designers are themselves gay or bisexual; Wikipedia has another list for this that goes from Armani all the way to Jeffrey Williams. It’s not uncommon for designers to be thoughtlessly lumped as anti-woman self-hating homosexuals…evidently many straight men have trouble understanding their taste in female models. Not everyone is pin thin or in the closet.

American Thinker has a couple more wins and milestones that the LGBT+ community has to be glad for but reminds us that Gay Pride (and other LGBT+ cultural movements) is at the foundation of all of the progress. AIDs/HIV awareness is a vital cause to support, but dwelling on the negative aspects of LGBT lifestyles is the last thing the LGBT+ community should want to do now.