Polari
Template:About Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox language Template:LGBTQ sidebar
Polari (Template:Etymology) is a form of slang or cant historically used primarily in the United Kingdom among the gay subculture, as well as some actors, circus and fairground performers, professional wrestlers, merchant navy sailors, criminals, and prostitutes.
There is some debate about its origins,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but it can be traced to at least the 19th century and possibly as early as the 16th century.<ref>Collins English Dictionary, Third Edition</ref> Polari has a long-standing connection with Punch and Judy street puppeteers, who traditionally used it to converse.<ref name="Mayhew">Template:Cite book</ref>
Terminology
Alternative spellings include Parlare, Parlary, Palare, Palarie and Palari.
Description
Polari is a mixture of Romance (Italian<ref name="BritishSpiesLicensed">Template:Cite news</ref> or Mediterranean Lingua Franca), Romani, rhyming slang, sailors' slang and thieves' cant, which later expanded to contain words from Yiddish and 1960s drug subculture slang. It was constantly evolving, with a small core lexicon of about 20 words, including: Template:Lang (good),<ref name="liverpoolmuseums.org.uk">Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Lang (nearby), Template:Lang (face), Template:Lang (bad, in the sense of tacky or vile), Template:Lang (bad, in the sense of drab or dull, though borrowed into mainstream British English with a meaning more like that of Template:Lang), Template:Lang (room, house, flat), Template:Lang (not, no), Template:Lang (man), Template:Lang (woman), Template:Lang (hair), Template:Lang or Template:Lang (smarten up, stylise), Template:Lang ('to be had', sexually accessible), Template:Lang (sex) and Template:Lang (see).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
There were once two distinct forms of Polari in London: an East End version which stressed Cockney rhyming slang and a West End version which stressed theatrical and classical influences. There was some interchange between the two.<ref>Template:Cite documentary</ref>
In the LGBTQ community, Polari also involves inverting gendered personal pronouns and names, typically switching them from male forms to female forms. For example, he may become she (known as she-ing), and the name Paul may become Pauline.<ref name="Lavender Language">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="lithub 2019">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Usage
From the 19th century on, Polari was used in London fish markets, theatres, fairgrounds, and circuses, hence the many borrowings from Romani.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> As many homosexual men worked in theatrical entertainment, it was also used among the gay subculture to disguise homosexuals from hostile outsiders and undercover policemen. It was also used extensively in the British Merchant Navy, where many gay men worked as waiters, stewards, and entertainers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
According to Oxford English Dictionary associate editor Peter Gilliver little written evidence of Polari exists before the 1890s. The dictionary's entry for rozzer (policeman) includes a quote from P. H. Emerson's 1893 book Signor Lippo – Burnt Cork Artiste:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> "If the rozzers was to see him in bona clobber they'd take him for a gun." ("If the police were to see him finely dressed, they would know that he is a thief.")<ref name=guardian>Template:Cite news</ref>
The almost identical Parlyaree has been spoken in fairgrounds since at least the 17th century<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and is still used by show travellers in England and Scotland. As theatrical booths, circus acts, and menageries were once common parts of European fairs, it is likely that the roots of Polari/Parlyaree lie in the period before both theatre and circus became independent of fairgrounds. The Parlyaree spoken on fairgrounds tends to borrow much more from Romani, as well as other languages and cants spoken by travelling people, such as thieves' cant and back slang.Template:Fact
Henry Mayhew gave an account of Polari as part of an interview with a Punch and Judy showman in the 1850s. The discussion he recorded references Punch's arrival in England, crediting these early shows to an Italian performer called Porcini (John Payne Collier's account calls him Porchini, a literal rendering of the Italian pronunciation).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Mayhew provides the following: Template:Blockquote
Additional accounts of particular words relate to puppet performance:<ref name="Mayhew"/>
- "'Template:Lang' – figures, frame, scenes, properties.
- "'Template:Lang' – call, or unknown tongue" ("unknown" is a reference to the "swazzle", a voice modifier used by Punch performers).
Decline
Polari had begun to fall into disuse among the gay subculture by the late 1960s. The popularity of the BBC radio comedy Round the Horne, with its camp gay characters Julian and Sandy, ensured that some of the Polari terms they used became public knowledge.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The need for a secret means of communication in the subculture also declined with the partial decriminalisation of adult homosexual acts in England and Wales under the Sexual Offences Act 1967; in the 1970s, the gay liberation movement began to view Polari as old-fashioned and perpetuating harmful camp stereotypes.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref>
Mainstream usage
A number of words from Polari have entered mainstream slang. The list below includes words in general use with the meanings listed: acdc, barney, blag, butch, camp, khazi, cottaging, hoofer, mince, ogle, scarper, slap, strides, tod, [rough] trade.Template:Fact
The Polari word Template:Lang, meaning inferior or tacky, has an uncertain etymology. Michael Quinion says it is probably from the 16th-century Italian word Template:Lang, meaning "a despicable person".<ref name="quinaff">Template:Cite web</ref> There are a number of false etymologies, many based on backronyms—"Not Available For Fucking", "Normal As Fuck", etc. The phrase "naff off" was used euphemistically in place of "fuck off" along with the intensifier "naffing" in Keith Waterhouse's Billy Liar (1959).<ref name=billy1>Template:Cite book p35 "Naff off, Stamp, for Christ sake!" p46 "Well which one of them's got the naffing engagement ring?"</ref> Usage of "naff" increased in the 1970s when the television sitcom Porridge employed it as an alternative to expletives which were not broadcastable at the time.<ref name=quinaff/> Princess Anne allegedly told a reporter to "naff off" at the Badminton horse trials in April 1982.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> However, the photographers who were present have since stated that this was a censored version of what she actually said.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
"Template:Lang" (Template:IPAc-en;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> alternatively spelled "Template:Lang," "Template:Lang," and a number of other variety spellings<ref name="Phelan">Template:Cite web</ref>), meaning to smarten up, style or improve something, became commonplace in the mid-2000s, having been used in the 2003 United States TV series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and What Not to Wear.Template:Citation needed "Template:Lang", an alternative spelling of the word, was popularised by drag queen Jasmine Masters after her appearance on the seventh series of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Legacy and revival
Since the late 20th and early 21st century, there has been a renewed interest in Polari, especially as a part of LGBTQ+ heritage.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Gay's the Word has held workshops in Polari, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have translated (partially relexified) the King James Bible into Polari,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Madame Jo Jo's nightclub in Soho taught its staff to speak Polari.<ref name=":5">Template:Cite news</ref>
Linguist Paul Baker attributes increased interest in Polari primarily to the growing body of academic work on the subject.<ref name=":3"/><ref name=":1"/> Author George Reiner explains that "the revival of a language like Polari offers the possibility of an alternate queer linguistic space" at a time when closing LGBTQ+ venues and dating apps have reduced queer social spaces.<ref name=":1"/>
In 2007, writer and activist Paul Burston launched Polari Literary Salon in London to platform LGBTQ+ writers. He launched the Polari First Book Prize in 2011. This was followed by the Polari Prize for LGBTQ+ writers at all stages of their career in 2019 and the Polari Children's & YA Prize in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Other organisations have also taken names inspired by Polari, such as Polari Magazine,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vada Magazine,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and VADA LGBTQ Community Theatre Company.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2012 and 2013, Manchester artists Jez Dolan and Joe Richardson presented a performance-based tour and exhibition titled Polari Mission, which explored LGBTQ+ history and language use in the UK. This was presented at The John Rylands Library and Contact Theatre.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2015, Dolan also translated sections of the 1957 Wolfenden Report into Polari for a commission from the UK Parliament.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Dolan and Richardson also worked with Paul Baker to produce a 500-word dictionary of Polari as an app.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In December 2016, to launch LGBT+ History Month 2017 and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, poet Adam Lowe performed his Polari poem "Vada That" in Parliament's Speaker's House with accompaniment by musician Nikki Franklin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2017, a service at Westcott House, Cambridge was conducted in Polari. Trainee priests held the service to commemorate LGBT History Month; following media attention, Chris Chivers, the principal, expressed his regret.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":6">Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2019, Reaktion Books published Paul Baker's third book on Polari, Fabulosa!: The Story of Polari, Britain's Secret Gay Language.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His first two books on the subject (Polari: Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang and Polari: The Lost Language of Gay Men) were published in 2002 and 2003, respectively.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite book</ref>
In popular culture
- Polari (spelt "Polare") was popularised on the 1960s BBC radio show Round the Horne. The camp gay Polari-speaking characters Julian and Sandy were played by Hugh Paddick and Kenneth Williams.<ref name="Stevens">Template:Cite book</ref>
- In the Doctor Who serial Carnival of Monsters (1973), Vorg, a showman, attempts to converse with the Doctor in Polari.Template:Sfn
- Ralph Filthy, a theatrical agent played by Nigel Planer in the BBC TV series Filthy Rich & Catflap, regularly used Polari.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- In 1990 Morrissey released the single "Piccadilly Palare" containing a number of lyrics in Polari and exploring a subculture in which Polari was used. "Piccadilly Palare" later appeared on his compilation album Bona Drag, whose title is also taken from Polari.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
- In Doom Patrol, Danny the Street often speaks Polari.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- In his 1995 novel Behind Closed Doors, Coronation Street creator Tony Warren depicts his characters using Polari on the gay scene of 1950s Manchester.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- In the 1998 film Velvet Goldmine, two characters speak Polari in a London nightclub. The scene has English subtitles in the American release of the film.<ref name=":2" />
- In 2015 Brian Fairbairn and Karl Eccleston made a short film, "Putting on the Dish", which features a conversation entirely in Polari.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- The song Girl Loves Me from David Bowie's 2016 album Blackstar features lyrics in both Polari and the fictional language Nadsat from the novel A Clockwork Orange.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- In 2018 George Reiner and Penny Burkett published cruising for lavs, written mostly in Polari.<ref name=":3" />
- In 2019 the first opera in Polari, The Sins of the Cities of the Plain (based on the book of the same title), premiered at Espacio Turina in Seville, Spain. The libretto was written in Polari by librettist and playwright Fabrizio Funari and the music is by Germán Alonso.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- The same year, the English-language localisation of the Japanese video game Dragon Quest Builders 2 included a character called Jules, who spoke in Polari with non-standard capitalisation.<ref>Template:Cite video game</ref><ref name=":7">Template:Cite news</ref>
- In the 2020 film Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse, a young Roald Dahl runs away from home and meets "a silver-tongued, Polari-speaking eccentric who may be a figment of the boy's imagination" played by Bill Bailey.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- In 2023 Peepal Tree Press published Adam Lowe's debut poetry collection Patterflash, which features a number of Polari poems. The title is translated in the book's glossary as "Gossip, chat, ostentatious or pretentious speech; the lyrics pouring out of my gob".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- In the fourth episode of Funny Woman (2024), characters discuss BBC Radio using Polari in Round the Horne and visit a comedy club where gay and entertainment-industry characters converse in Polari.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- British singer Olly Alexander released his debut album Polari on 7 February 2025.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Glossary
Numbers:
| Number | Definition | Italian numbers |
|---|---|---|
| medza, medzer | half | mezza |
| una, oney | one | uno |
| dooey | two | due |
| tray | three | tre |
| quarter | four | quattro |
| chinker | five | cinque |
| say | six | sei |
| say oney, setter | seven | sette |
| say dooey, otter | eight | otto |
| say tray, nobber | nine | nove |
| daiture | ten | dieci |
| long dedger, lepta | eleven | undici |
| kenza | twelve | dodici |
| chenter<ref name=":0"/> | one hundred | cento |
Some words or phrases that may derive from Polari (this is an incomplete list):
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| Template:Lang, Template:Lang | bisexualTemplate:Sfn<ref name=":4" /> |
| Template:Lang | nearby (shortened form of "adjacent to")Template:Sfn<ref name=":4" /> |
| Template:Lang | they're attractive! (via acronym "LMO" meaning "Lick Me Out!")Template:Sfn |
| Template:Lang | to have sex (from Italian chiavare, to screw)<ref name="What is Polari All About">Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:Lang | listen!Template:Sfn |
| Template:Lang | ears<ref name="Stevens" />Template:Sfn |
| Template:Lang | earringsTemplate:Sfn |
| Template:Lang | a fightTemplate:Sfn |
| Template:Lang, Template:Lang, Template:Lang | shoesTemplate:Sfn |
| bevvy | drink (diminutive of "beverage")<ref name="liverpoolmuseums.org.uk"/> |
| Template:Lang | effeminate or passive gay man<ref name=":4" /> |
| Template:Lang | small/little (from French, jewel)Template:Sfn |
| Template:Lang | whore (French Template:Lang) |
| Template:Lang | sexually pick upTemplate:Sfn<ref name=":4" /> |
| Template:Lang | homosexual<ref name="What is Polari All About"/> |
| Template:Lang | goodTemplate:Sfn |
| Template:Lang | goodnight (from Italian – Template:Lang)Template:Sfn<ref name=":4" /> |
| Template:Lang | masculine; masculine lesbianTemplate:Sfn |
| Template:Lang | a drink; something drinkable (from Italian – Template:Lang or old-fashioned Italian – Template:Lang or Lingua Franca bevire)Template:Sfn<ref name=":4" /> |
| Template:Lang | talk/gossipTemplate:Sfn |
| Template:Lang | effeminate (possibly from Italian Template:Lang or Template:Lang "emphasise, make stand out") (possibly from the phrase "camp follower" those itinerants who followed behind the men in uniform/highly decorative dress) |
| Template:Lang, Template:Lang, Template:Lang, Template:Lang | hat (from Italian – Template:Lang)Template:Sfn |
| Template:Lang, Template:Lang, Template:Lang | house or a toiletTemplate:Sfn |
| Template:Lang | penis (from Italian – Template:Lang)Template:Sfn |
| Template:Lang | trousersTemplate:Sfn |
| charper | to search or to look (from Italian acchiappare, to catch)Template:Sfn |
| charpering omi | policeman<ref name=":4" /> |
| charver | sexual intercourseTemplate:Sfn<ref name=":4" /> |
| chicken | young man<ref name=":4" /> |
| clevie | vagina<ref name=auto>Template:Cite book</ref> |
| clobber | clothesTemplate:Sfn |
| cod | badTemplate:Sfn |
| corybungus | backside, posterior<ref name=auto/> |
| cottage | a public lavatory used for sexual encounters (public lavatories in British parks and elsewhere were often built in the style of a Tudor cottage)[1] |
| cottaging | seeking or obtaining sexual encounters in public lavatories<ref name=":4" /> |
| cove | taxiTemplate:Sfn |
| dhobi / dhobie / dohbie | wash (from Hindi, dohb)Template:Sfn |
| Dilly boy | a male prostitute, from Piccadilly boy<ref name=":4" /> |
| Dilly, the | Piccadilly circus, a place where cruising went on<ref name=":4" /> |
| dinari | money (Latin 'denarii' was the 'd' of the pre decimal penny. This word is cognate with the Spanish word 'dinero' also meaning money)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> |
| dish | buttocksTemplate:Sfn<ref name=":6" /> |
| dolly | pretty, nice, pleasant, (from Irish dóighiúil/Scottish Gaelic dòigheil, handsome, pronounced 'doil') |
| dona | woman (perhaps from Italian donna or Lingua Franca dona)Template:SfnTemplate:Rp |
| ecaf | face (backslang)Template:Sfn<ref name=":7" /> |
| eek/eke<ref name=":0"/> | face (abbreviation of ecaf)Template:Sfn<ref name=":7" /> |
| ends | hair<ref name="liverpoolmuseums.org.uk"/> |
| esong, sedon | nose (backslang)Template:Sfn<ref name=":5" /> |
| fambles | hands<ref name=auto/> |
| fantabulosa | fabulous/wonderful<ref name=":4" /> |
| farting crackers | trousers<ref name=auto/> |
| feele / feely / filly | child/young (from the Italian figlio, for son)<ref name=":4" /> |
| feele omi / feely omi | young man<ref name=":4" /> |
| flowery | lodgings, accommodations<ref name=auto/> |
| fogus | tobacco<ref name=":4" /> |
| fortuni | gorgeous, beautiful<ref name=auto/> |
| fruit | gay man<ref name=":4" /> |
| funt | pound £ (Yiddish)<ref name=":4" /> |
| fungus | old man/beard<ref name=auto/> |
| gelt | money (Yiddish)<ref name=":4" /> |
| bag | money<ref name=":4" /> |
| hoofer | dancer<ref name=":4" /> |
| HP (homy palone) | gay man, especially an effeminate one<ref name=":4" /> |
| irish | wig (from Cockney rhyming slang, "Irish jig")<ref name=":4" /> |
| jarry | food, also mangarie (from Italian mangiare or Lingua Franca mangiaria)<ref name=":4" /> |
| jubes | breasts<ref name=":4" /> |
| kaffies | trousers<ref name=":4" /> |
| lacoddy, lucoddy | body |
| lallies / lylies | legs, sometimes also knees (as in "get down on yer lallies")<ref name=":4" /> |
| lallie tappers | feet<ref name=":4" /> |
| latty / lattie | room, house or flat<ref name=":4" /> |
| lau | lay or place upon<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| lavs | words<ref name="The Polari Bible">Template:Cite web</ref> (Irish: labhairt to speak) |
| lills | hands<ref name=":4" /> |
| lilly | police (Lilly Law)<ref name=":4" /> |
| lyles | legs (prob. from "Lisle stockings")<ref name=":4" /> |
| luppers | fingers (from Yiddish lapa – paw)<ref name=":4" /> |
| mangarie | food, also jarry (from Italian mangiare or Lingua Franca mangiaria)<ref name=":4" /> |
| manky | worthless, dirty (from Italian mancare – "to be lacking")<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| martinis | hands<ref name=":4" /> |
| measures | money<ref name=":4" /> |
| medzered | divided<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| meese | plain, ugly (from Yiddish mieskeit, in turn from Hebrew מָאוּס repulsive, loathsome, despicable, abominable) |
| meshigener | nutty, crazy, mental (from Yiddish 'meshugge', in turn from Hebrew מְשֻׁגָּע crazy)<ref name=":4" /> |
| meshigener carsey | church<ref name="The Polari Bible"/> |
| metzas | money (from Italian mezzi, "means, wherewithal")<ref name=":4" /> |
| mince | walk affectedly<ref name=":4" /> |
| mollying | involved in the act of sex<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| mogue | deceive<ref name=":4" /> |
| munge | darkness<ref name="The Polari Bible"/> |
| naff | awful, dull, hetero<ref name=":4" /> |
| nana / nanna | awful<ref name=":4" /> |
| nanti | not, no, none<ref name=":4" /> (from Italian, niente) |
| national handbag | dole, welfare, government financial assistance<ref name=":4" /> |
| nishta | nothing<ref name="liverpoolmuseums.org.uk"/> from Yiddish nishto נישטא meaning nothing |
| ogle | look admiringly<ref name=":4" /> |
| ogles | eyes<ref name=":4" /> |
| oglefakes | glasses<ref name=":4" /> |
| omi | man<ref name=":4" /> (from Romance) |
| onk | nose<ref name=":4" /> (from "conk") |
| orbs | eyes<ref name=":4" /> |
| orderly daughters | police<ref name=":4" /> |
| oven | mouth (nanti pots in the oven = no teeth in the mouth)<ref name=":4" /> |
| palare / polari pipe | telephone ("talk pipe")<ref name=":4" /> |
| palliass | back<ref name=":4" /> |
| park, parker | give<ref name=":4" /> |
| plate | feet<ref name=":4" /> (Cockney rhyming slang "plates of meat"); to fellate |
| palone | woman<ref name=":4" /> (Italian paglione – "straw mattress"; cf. old Cant hay-bag – "woman"); also spelled "polony" in Graham Greene's 1938 novel Brighton Rock |
| palone-omi | lesbian<ref name=":4" /> |
| pots | teeth<ref name=":4" /> |
| quongs | testicles<ref name=":4" /> |
| reef | touch<ref name=":4" /> |
| remould | sex change<ref name=":4" /> |
| rozzer | policeman<ref name=guardian/> |
| riah / riha | hair (backslang)<ref name=":4" /> |
| riah zhoosher | hairdresser<ref name=":4" /> |
| rough trade | a working class or blue collar sex partner or potential sex partner; a tough, thuggish or potentially violent sex partner<ref name=":4" /> |
| scarper | to run off<ref name=":4" /> (from Italian scappare, to escape or run away or from rhyming slang "scapa flow", to go) |
| scharda | shame<ref name=":4" /> (from German schade, "a shame" or "a pity") |
| schlumph | drink<ref name=":4" /> |
| schmutter | apparel<ref name="Polari Bible">Template:Cite web</ref> from Yiddish shmatte שמאטע meaning rag |
| schooner | bottle<ref name=":4" /> |
| scotch | leg<ref name=":4" /> (scotch egg=leg) |
| screech | mouth, speak<ref name=":4" /> |
| screeve | write<ref name="Polari Bible"/> (either from Irish scríobh/Scottish Gaelic sgrìobh, Scots scrieve to write or italian 'scrivere' meaning to write) |
| sharpy | policeman<ref name=":4" /> (from – charpering omi) |
| sharpy polone | policewoman<ref name=":4" /> |
| shush | steal (from client)<ref name=":4" /> |
| shush bag | hold-all<ref name=":4" /> |
| shyker / shyckle | wig<ref name=":4" /> (mutation of the Yiddish sheitel) |
| slap | makeup<ref name=":4" /> |
| so | homosexual<ref name=":4" /> (e.g. "Is he 'so'?") |
| stimps | legs<ref name=":4" /> |
| stimpcovers | stockings, hosiery<ref name=":4" /> |
| strides | trousers<ref name=":4" /> |
| strillers | piano<ref name=":4" /> |
| switch | wig<ref name=":4" /> |
| TBH (to be had) | prospective sexual conquest<ref name=":4" /> |
| thews | thighs<ref name=":4" /> |
| tober | road (a Shelta word, Irish bóthar); temporary site for a circus, carnivalTemplate:Citation needed |
| todd (Sloan) or tod | from Cockney rhyming slang "alone"Template:Citation needed |
| tootsie trade | sex between two passive or feminine homosexuals<ref name=":4" /> (as in: 'I don't do tootsie trade') |
| trade | sex, sex-partner, potential sex-partner<ref name=":4" /> |
| troll | to walk about (esp. looking for trade)<ref name=":4" /> |
| vada / varder | to see (from Italian dialect vardare = guardare – look at)<ref name=":4" /> |
| vera (lynn) | gin<ref name=":4" /> |
| vogue | cigarette<ref name=":4" /> (from Lingua Franca fogus – "fire, smoke") |
| vogueress | female smokerTemplate:Citation needed |
| wallop | dance<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| willets | breasts<ref name=":4" /> |
| yeute | no, none |
| yews | (from French "yeux") eyes<ref name=":4" /> |
| zhoosh | style, improve, clothes<ref name=":4" />(cf. Romani zhouzho – "clean, neat") |
| zhooshy | showy<ref name=":4" /> |
![[1]](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/BJ4MCR/half-timbered-mock-tudor-public-toilet-block-in-aldeburgh-suffolk-BJ4MCR.jpg){kind=link}
Usage examples
Omies and palones of the jury, vada well at the eek of the poor ome who stands before you, his lallies trembling. – taken from "Bona Law", one of the Julian and Sandy sketches from Round The Horne, written by Barry Took and Marty Feldman
- Translation: "Men and women of the jury, look well at the face of the poor man who stands before you, his legs trembling."
So bona to vada...oh you! Your lovely eek and your lovely riah. – taken from "Piccadilly Palare", a song by Morrissey
- Translation: "So good to see...oh you! Your lovely face and your lovely hair."
As feely ommes...we would zhoosh our riah, powder our eeks, climb into our bona new drag, don our batts and troll off to some bona bijou bar. In the bar we would stand around with our sisters, vada the bona cartes on the butch omme ajax who, if we fluttered our ogle riahs at him sweetly, might just troll over to offer a light for the unlit vogue clenched between our teeth. – taken from Parallel Lives, the memoirs of renowned gay journalist Peter Burton
- Translation: "As young men...we would style our hair, powder our faces, climb into our great new clothes, don our shoes and wander/walk off to some great little bar. In the bar we would stand around with our gay companions, look at the great genitals on the butch man nearby who, if we fluttered our eyelashes at him sweetly, might just wander/walk over to offer a light for the unlit cigarette clenched between our teeth."
In the Are You Being Served? episode "The Old Order Changes", Captain Peacock asks Mr Humphries to get "some strides for the omi with the naff riah" (i.e., trousers for the fellow with the unstylish hair).<ref>Template:Cite episode</ref>
See also
- African-American Vernacular English (sometimes called Ebonics)
- Bahasa Binan
- Boontling
- Caló (Chicano)
- Carny, North American fairground cant
- Gayle language
- Gay slang
- Grypsera
- IsiNgqumo
- Lavender linguistics
- Lunfardo and Vesre
- Mediterranean Lingua Franca
- Pajubá
- Julian and Sandy
- Rotwelsch
- Shelta
- Swardspeak, argot used by LGBT people in the Philippines
- Verlan
- Lubunca
References
Bibliography
External links
- The Polari Bible compiled by The Manchester Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Template:Webarchive
- Polari Mission exhibit (archived) at the University of Manchester's John Rylands Library
- Colin Richardson, The Guardian, 17 January 2005, "What brings you trolling back, then?"
- Liverpool Museums: The secret language of polari (archived)
- Paul Clevett's Polari Translator
- Putting it on the Dish, a 2015 short film featuring Polari extensively
- A brief history of Polari: the curious after-life of the dead language for gay men, 8 February 2017.
- Polari Dictionary based on Paul Baker's glossary and dictionary
Template:Gender variance topics Template:LGBT topics in the United Kingdom Template:Authority control