Polari
Encyclopedia
Polari is a form of cant
slang
used in Britain
by actors, circus and fairground showmen, criminals, prostitutes, and by the gay subculture. It was popularised in the 1960s by camp
characters Julian and Sandy
in the popular BBC radio show Round the Horne
. There is some debate about its origins, but it can be traced back to at least the 19th century, and possibly the 16th century. There is a longstanding connection with Punch and Judy
street puppet performers who traditionally used Polari to converse.
or Mediterranean Lingua Franca
), London slang, backslang
, rhyming slang, sailor slang, and thieves' cant
. Later it expanded to contain words from the Yiddish language
, from the U.S. forces (present in the UK during World War II) and from 1960s drug users. It was a constantly developing form of language, with a small core lexicon of about 20 words (including , , , , , , , , , , (), , , ), and over 500 other lesser-known words.
and effeminate, as a further way of asserting their identity.
The almost identical Parlyaree has been spoken in fairgrounds since at least the 17th century and continues to be used by show travellers in England and Scotland. As theatrical booths, circus acts and menageries were once a common part of European fairs it is likely that the roots of Polari/Parlyaree lie in the period before both theatre and circus became independent of the fairgrounds. The Parlyaree spoken on fairgrounds tends to borrow much more from Romany, as well as other languages and argot
s spoken by travelling people, such as cant
and backslang.
Henry Mayhew
gave a verbatim account of Polari as part of an interview with a Punch and Judy
showman in the 1850s. The discussion he recorded references the arrival of Punch in England, crediting these early shows to a performer from Italy called Porcini (see also John Payne Collier
's account of Porsini—Payne Collier calls him Porchini—in Punch and Judy). Mayhew provides the following:
There are additional accounts of particular words that relate to puppet performance: "'' – figures, frame, scenes, properties. '' – call, or unknown tongue" ("unknown" is a reference to the "swazzle
", a voice modifier used by Punch performers, the composition of which was a longstanding trade secret).
characters ensured that this secret language became public property, and the gay liberationists of the 1970s viewed it as rather degrading, divisive and politically incorrect
as it was often used to gossip about, or criticise, others, as well as to discuss sexual exploits. In addition, the need for a secret subculture code declined with the legalisation of adult homosexual acts in England and Wales in 1967.
Since the mid-1990s, with the redistribution of tapes and CDs of Round The Horne and increasing academic interest, Polari has undergone something of a revival. New words are being invented and updated to refer to more recent cultural concepts.
In 1990 Morrissey
titled an album Bona Drag
—Polari for "nice outfit"—and released the single "Piccadilly Palare" that same year.
Also in 1990, comic book
writer Grant Morrison
created the Polari-speaking character Danny the Street
(based on Danny La Rue
), a sentient transvestite street, for the comic Doom Patrol
.
The 1998 film Velvet Goldmine
, which chronicles a fictional retelling of the rise and fall of glam rock
, contains a 60s flashback in which a group of characters converse in Polari, while their words are humorously subtitled below.
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). Also in 2002, hip hop
artist Juha released an album called Polari, with the chorus of the title song written entirely in the slang.
Characters in Will Self's
story, Foie Humain, the first part of Liver
, use Polari.
Comedians Rik Mayall
, David Walliams
and Matt Lucas
still incorporate Polari in their comedy to this day.
states that it is probably from the 16th-century Italian word , meaning "a despicable person".
There are a number of folk etymologies, many based on acronyms—Not Available For Fucking, Normal As Fuck—though these are backronym
s. More likely etymologies include northern UK dialect
naffhead, naffin, or naffy, a simpleton or blockhead; niffy-naffy, inconsequential, stupid, or Scots nyaff, a term of contempt for any unpleasant or objectionable person. An alternative etymology may lie in the Romany , itself rooted in násfalo, meaning ill.
The phrase "naff off" was used euphemistically
in place of "fuck off" along with the intensifier "naffing" in Billy Liar
by Keith Waterhouse (1959).
Usage of "naff" increased in the 1970s when television
sitcom
Porridge employed it as an alternative to expletives which were not considered broadcastable at the time. In 1982 Princess Anne
was reported as telling news photographers to "naff off!" after falling from her horse at the Badminton Horse Trials
, although possibly this was self-censorship by the reporters and she actually used "Fuck off!"
and What Not to Wear. Its initial consonant has led new users to generate variant spellings such as "zoosh", "soozh", "tszuj", "zhoozh" etc. In some pronunciations, the word begins and ends with the same phoneme, the voiced postalveolar fricative
, which can be heard as the "s" sound in the words "television" and "pleasure". Others pronounce the final consonant like the "sh" in "push".
, vada well at the eek of the poor ome who stands before you, his lallies trembling." (Taken from "Bona Law", a sketch 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 the memoirs of renowned gay journalist Peter Burton, Parallel Lives)
(Translation: "As young men...we would style our hair, powder our faces, climb into our fabulous new clothes, don our shoes and wander/walk off to some fabulous little bar. In the bar we would stand around with our gay companions, look at the fabulous 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.")
Cant (language)
A Cant is the jargon or argot of a group, often implying its use to exclude or mislead people outside the group.-Derivation in Celtic linguistics:...
slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
used in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by actors, circus and fairground showmen, criminals, prostitutes, and by the gay subculture. It was popularised in the 1960s by camp
Camp (style)
Camp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its taste and ironic value. The concept is closely related to kitsch, and things with camp appeal may also be described as being "cheesy"...
characters Julian and Sandy
Julian and Sandy
Julian and Sandy were characters on the BBC radio comedy programme Round the Horne from 1965 to 1968 and were played by Hugh Paddick and Kenneth Williams respectively, with scripts written by Barry Took and Marty Feldman...
in the popular BBC radio show Round the Horne
Round the Horne
Round the Horne was a BBC Radio comedy programme, transmitted in four series of weekly episodes from 1965 until 1968. The series was created by Barry Took and Marty Feldman - with others contributing to later series after Feldman returned to performing — and starred Kenneth Horne, with Kenneth...
. There is some debate about its origins, but it can be traced back to at least the 19th century, and possibly the 16th century. There is a longstanding connection with Punch and Judy
Punch and Judy
Punch and Judy is a traditional, popular puppet show featuring the characters of Mr. Punch and his wife, Judy. The performance consists of a sequence of short scenes, each depicting an interaction between two characters, most typically the anarchic Punch and one other character...
street puppet performers who traditionally used Polari to converse.
Description
Polari is a mixture of Romance (ItalianItalian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
or Mediterranean Lingua Franca
Mediterranean Lingua Franca
The Mediterranean Lingua Franca or Sabir was a pidgin language used as a lingua franca in the Mediterranean Basin from the 11th to the 19th century.-History:...
), London slang, backslang
Back slang
Back slang is an English coded language in which the written word is spoken phonemically backwards. It is thought to have originated in Victorian England, being used mainly by market sellers, such as butchers and greengrocers, to have private conversations behind their customers' backs and pass off...
, rhyming slang, sailor slang, and thieves' cant
Thieves' cant
Thieves' cant or Rogues' cant was a secret language which was formerly used by thieves, beggars and hustlers of various kinds in Great Britain and to a lesser extent in other English-speaking countries...
. Later it expanded to contain words from the Yiddish language
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
, from the U.S. forces (present in the UK during World War II) and from 1960s drug users. It was a constantly developing form of language, with a small core lexicon of about 20 words (including , , , , , , , , , , (), , , ), and over 500 other lesser-known words.
Usage
Polari was used in London fishmarkets, the theatre, and fairgrounds and circuses, hence the many borrowings from Romany. As many gay men worked in theatrical entertainment it was also used amongst the gay subculture, at a time when homosexual acts were illegal, to disguise homosexual activity from hostile outsiders and undercover policemen. It was also used extensively in the Merchant Navy, where many gay men joined cruise ships as waiters, stewards and entertainers. On one hand, it would be used as a means of cover, to allow gay subjects to be discussed aloud without being understood; on the other hand, it was also used by some, particularly the most visibly campCamp (style)
Camp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its taste and ironic value. The concept is closely related to kitsch, and things with camp appeal may also be described as being "cheesy"...
and effeminate, as a further way of asserting their identity.
The almost identical Parlyaree has been spoken in fairgrounds since at least the 17th century and continues to be used by show travellers in England and Scotland. As theatrical booths, circus acts and menageries were once a common part of European fairs it is likely that the roots of Polari/Parlyaree lie in the period before both theatre and circus became independent of the fairgrounds. The Parlyaree spoken on fairgrounds tends to borrow much more from Romany, as well as other languages and argot
Argot
An Argot is a secret language used by various groups—including, but not limited to, thieves and other criminals—to prevent outsiders from understanding their conversations. The term argot is also used to refer to the informal specialized vocabulary from a particular field of study, hobby, job,...
s spoken by travelling people, such as cant
Cant (language)
A Cant is the jargon or argot of a group, often implying its use to exclude or mislead people outside the group.-Derivation in Celtic linguistics:...
and backslang.
Henry Mayhew
Henry Mayhew
Henry Mayhew was an English social researcher, journalist, playwright and advocate of reform. He was one of the two founders of the satirical and humorous magazine Punch, and the magazine's joint-editor, with Mark Lemon, in its early days...
gave a verbatim account of Polari as part of an interview with a Punch and Judy
Punch and Judy
Punch and Judy is a traditional, popular puppet show featuring the characters of Mr. Punch and his wife, Judy. The performance consists of a sequence of short scenes, each depicting an interaction between two characters, most typically the anarchic Punch and one other character...
showman in the 1850s. The discussion he recorded references the arrival of Punch in England, crediting these early shows to a performer from Italy called Porcini (see also John Payne Collier
John Payne Collier
John Payne Collier , English Shakespearian critic and forger, was born in London.-Reporter and solicitor:...
's account of Porsini—Payne Collier calls him Porchini—in Punch and Judy). Mayhew provides the following:
Punch Talk
"'' means language; name of patter. '' – no food. '' – no bed. '' – no drink. I've ',' and ',' and, what's worse, '.' This is better than the costers' talk, because that ain't no slang and all, and this is a broken Italian, and much higher than the costers' lingo. We know what o'clock it is, besides."
There are additional accounts of particular words that relate to puppet performance: "'' – figures, frame, scenes, properties. '' – call, or unknown tongue" ("unknown" is a reference to the "swazzle
Swazzle
A swazzle is a device made of two strips of metal bound around a cotton tape reed. The device is used to produce the distinctive harsh, rasping voice of Punch and is held in the mouth by the Professor in a Punch and Judy show....
", a voice modifier used by Punch performers, the composition of which was a longstanding trade secret).
Decline in use
Polari had begun to fall into disuse amongst the gay subculture by the late 1960s. The popularity of the Julian and SandyJulian and Sandy
Julian and Sandy were characters on the BBC radio comedy programme Round the Horne from 1965 to 1968 and were played by Hugh Paddick and Kenneth Williams respectively, with scripts written by Barry Took and Marty Feldman...
characters ensured that this secret language became public property, and the gay liberationists of the 1970s viewed it as rather degrading, divisive and politically incorrect
Political correctness
Political correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
as it was often used to gossip about, or criticise, others, as well as to discuss sexual exploits. In addition, the need for a secret subculture code declined with the legalisation of adult homosexual acts in England and Wales in 1967.
Contemporary usage
In 1990 Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
titled an album Bona Drag
Bona Drag
- 2010 re-release :The 2010 re-release features the following additional tracks:* "Happy Lovers at Last United" * "Lifeguard on Duty"...
—Polari for "nice outfit"—and released the single "Piccadilly Palare" that same year.
Also in 1990, comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
writer Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
created the Polari-speaking character Danny the Street
Danny the Street
Danny the Street is a fictional character in the DC Universe. He was created by Grant Morrison and Brendan McCarthy and first appeared in Doom Patrol. His name is a pun on female impersonator Danny La Rue, as "La Rue" is French for "The Street"...
(based on Danny La Rue
Danny La Rue
Danny La Rue, OBE was an Irish-born British entertainer known for his singing and drag impersonations.-Early life:...
), a sentient transvestite street, for the comic Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol
The Doom Patrol is a superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
.
The 1998 film Velvet Goldmine
Velvet Goldmine
Velvet Goldmine is a 1998 British/American drama film directed and co-written by Todd Haynes. The film tells the story of a pop star based mainly on David Bowie's 'Ziggy Stardust' character and is set in Britain during the days of glam rock in the early 1970s.Sandy Powell received another Academy...
, which chronicles a fictional retelling of the rise and fall of glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
, contains a 60s flashback in which a group of characters converse in Polari, while their words are humorously subtitled below.
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). Also in 2002, hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
artist Juha released an album called Polari, with the chorus of the title song written entirely in the slang.
Characters in Will Self's
Will Self
William Woodard "Will" Self is an English novelist and short story writer. His fictional style is known for being satirical, grotesque, and fantastical. He is a prolific commentator on contemporary British life, with regular appearances on Newsnight and Question Time...
story, Foie Humain, the first part of Liver
Liver: A Fictional Organ with a Surface Anatomy of Four Lobes
Liver: A Fictional Organ with a Surface Anatomy of Four Lobes is the seventh collection of short stories by Will Self. The stories in the collection are all connected to the liver and was described by the author as "...a collection of two novellas and two longer short stories, all on a liverish theme...
, use Polari.
Comedians Rik Mayall
Rik Mayall
Richard Michael "Rik" Mayall is an English comedian, writer, and actor. He is known for his comedy partnership with Ade Edmondson, his over-the-top, energetic portrayal of characters, and as a pioneer of alternative comedy in the early 1980s...
, David Walliams
David Walliams
David Edward Walliams is an English comedian, writer and actor, known for his partnership with Matt Lucas on the TV sketch show Little Britain and its predecessor Rock Profile...
and Matt Lucas
Matt Lucas
Matthew Richard "Matt" Lucas is an English comedian, screenwriter and actor best known for his acclaimed work with David Walliams in the television show Little Britain; as well as for his portrayals of the scorekeeping baby George Dawes in the comedy panel game Shooting Stars, Tweedledee and...
still incorporate Polari in their comedy to this day.
Entry into standard English
Many words from Polari have entered mainstream slang; some recent examples are:Naff
The Polari word , meaning inferior or tacky, has an uncertain etymology. Michael QuinionMichael Quinion
Michael Quinion is a British etymologist and writer. He runs the web site World Wide Words, devoted to linguistics. He graduated from Cambridge University, where he studied physical sciences after which he joined BBC radio as a studio manager.-Writer:...
states that it is probably from the 16th-century Italian word , meaning "a despicable person".
There are a number of folk etymologies, many based on acronyms—Not Available For Fucking, Normal As Fuck—though these are backronym
Backronym
A backronym or bacronym is a phrase constructed purposely, such that an acronym can be formed to a specific desired word. Backronyms may be invented with serious or humorous intent, or may be a type of false or folk etymology....
s. More likely etymologies include northern UK dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
naffhead, naffin, or naffy, a simpleton or blockhead; niffy-naffy, inconsequential, stupid, or Scots nyaff, a term of contempt for any unpleasant or objectionable person. An alternative etymology may lie in the Romany , itself rooted in násfalo, meaning ill.
The phrase "naff off" was used euphemistically
Euphemism
A euphemism is the substitution of a mild, inoffensive, relatively uncontroversial phrase for another more frank expression that might offend or otherwise suggest something unpleasant to the audience...
in place of "fuck off" along with the intensifier "naffing" in Billy Liar
Billy Liar
Billy Liar is a 1959 novel by Keith Waterhouse, which was later adapted into a play, a film, a musical and a TV series. The work has inspired and featured in a number of popular songs....
by Keith Waterhouse (1959).
Usage of "naff" increased in the 1970s when television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Porridge employed it as an alternative to expletives which were not considered broadcastable at the time. In 1982 Princess Anne
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
was reported as telling news photographers to "naff off!" after falling from her horse at the Badminton Horse Trials
Badminton Horse Trials
The Badminton Horse Trials is a three-day event, one of only six annual Concours Complet International Four Star **** events as classified by the Fédération Équestre Internationale , which takes place in April or May each year in the park of Badminton House, the seat of the Dukes of Beaufort in...
, although possibly this was self-censorship by the reporters and she actually used "Fuck off!"
Zhoosh
"" (icon, icon or icon), meaning to smarten up, style or improve something, has become commonplace more recently, having been used on the TV series Queer Eye for the Straight GuyQueer Eye
Queer Eye is an American reality television series that premiered on the Bravo cable television network in July 2003. The program's name was changed from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy after the third season to broaden the scope of its content...
and What Not to Wear. Its initial consonant has led new users to generate variant spellings such as "zoosh", "soozh", "tszuj", "zhoozh" etc. In some pronunciations, the word begins and ends with the same phoneme, the voiced postalveolar fricative
Voiced postalveolar fricative
The voiced palato-alveolar fricative or voiced domed postalveolar fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is Z. An alternative symbol used in some...
, which can be heard as the "s" sound in the words "television" and "pleasure". Others pronounce the final consonant like the "sh" in "push".
Polari glossary
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| nearby (from adjacent?) | |
| hot for you/him | |
| listen, hear | |
| ears | |
| earrings | |
| earrings | |
| a fight | |
| the bulge of male genitals through clothes | |
| shoes | |
| bisexual | |
| effeminate or passive gay man | |
| small/little (means "jewel" in French) | |
| pick up | |
| code word for "homosexual" | |
| body | |
| good — goodnight (from Italian - ) |
|
| wonderful, excellent | |
| pub, this comes from the English word for the closure on a barrel. | |
| masculine; masculine lesbian | |
| a drink (from Italian - or old-fashioned Italian - or Lingua Franca bevire) | |
| talk/gossip | |
| effeminate (possibly from Italian "exaggerate, make stand out") | |
| / | hat (from Italian - ) |
| toilet, also spelt khazi | |
| / | penis (from Italian - ) |
| trousers | |
| charper | to search (from Italian - chiappare - to catch) |
| charpering omi | policeman |
| charver | to shag/a shag (sexual intercourse) (from Italian - chiavare) |
| chicken Chicken (gay slang) Chicken can be used, usually by gay men referring to other gay men, to mean a young gay man or young-appearing gay man - stereotypically describing an adolescent youth, usually one with an innocent nature.Author Bruce Rodgers defines the term as "1... |
young man |
| clobber | clothes |
| cod | naff, vile |
| cottage | a public lavatory used for sexual encounters |
| cottaging Cottaging Cottaging is a British gay slang term referring to anonymous sex between men in a public lavatory , or cruising for sexual partners with the intention of having sex elsewhere... |
seeking or obtaining sexual encounters in public lavatories |
| cove | friend |
| crimper | hairdresser |
| dally | sweet, kind. Possibly an alternate pronunciation of dolly. |
| dilly boy | a male prostitute |
| dinari | money (perhaps from Italian denaro) |
| dish | butt(ocks) |
| dolly | pretty, nice, pleasant |
| dona | woman (perhaps from Italian donna or Lingua Franca dona) |
| dorcas | term of endearment, 'one who cares'. The Dorcas Society was a ladies' church association of the nineteenth century, which made clothes for the poor. |
| drag Drag (clothing) Drag is used for any clothing carrying symbolic significance but usually referring to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of another gender. The origin of the term "drag" is unknown, but it may have originated in Polari, a gay street argot in England in the early... |
clothes, esp. women's clothes (prob from Romani — indraka — skirt) |
| doss | bed |
| ecaf | face (backslang) |
| eek | face (abbreviation of ecaf) |
| ends | hair |
| esong | nose (backslang) |
| fantabulosa | fabulous/wonderful |
| feele/freely/filly | child/young (from the Italian figlio, for son) |
| fruit Fruit (slang) Fruit and fruitcake are sexual slang terms which have various origins but modern usages tend to primarily refer to gay men and sometimes other LGBT people. Usually used as pejoratives, the terms have also been re-appropriated as insider terms of endearment within LGBT communities... |
queen |
| funt | pound |
| gelt | money (Yiddish) |
| handbag | money |
| hoofer | dancer |
| HP (homy polone) | effeminate gay man |
| jarry | food, also mangarie (from Italian mangiare or Lingua Franca mangiaria) |
| jubes | breasts |
| kaffies | trousers |
| khazi | toilet, also spelt carsey |
| lacoddy | body |
| lallies (lylies) | legs |
| lallie tappers | feet |
| latty/lattie | room, house or flat |
| lills | hands |
| lilly | police (Lilly Law) |
| lyles | legs (prob. from "Lisle stockings") |
| lucoddy | body |
| luppers | fingers (Yiddish — lapa — paw) |
| mangarie | food, also jarry (from Italian mangiare or Lingua Franca mangiaria) |
| martinis | hands |
| measures | money |
| meese | plain, ugly (from Yiddish "meeiskeit, in turn from Hebrew מָאוּס repulsive, loathsome, despicable, abominable) |
| meshigener | nutty, crazy, mental (from Yiddish, in turn from Hebrew מְשֻׁגָּע crazy) |
| metzas | money (Italian -mezzi "means, wherewithal") |
| mince | walk (affectedly) |
| naff | awful, dull, hetero |
| nanti | not, no, none (Italian — niente) |
| national handbag | dole, welfare, government financial assistance |
| ogle Staring Staring is a prolonged gaze or fixed look. In staring, one object or person is the continual focus of visual interest, for an amount of time. Staring can be interpreted as being either hostile, or the result of intense concentration or affection. Staring behaviour can be considered a form of... |
look, admire |
| ogles | eyes |
| oglefakes | glasses |
| omi | man (from Romance) |
| omi-palone | effeminate man, or homosexual |
| onk | nose (cf "conk") |
| orbs | eyes |
| palare pipe | telephone ("talk pipe") |
| palliass | back |
| park, parker | give |
| plate | feet; to fellate |
| palone | woman (Italian paglione - "straw mattress", [viz. old Cant "hay-bag" = woman]) |
| palone-omi | lesbian |
| pots | teeth |
| remould | sex change |
| riah/riha | hair (backslang) |
| riah zhoosher | hairdresser |
| rough trade | a working class or blue collar sex partner or potential sex partner; a tough, thuggish or potentially violent sex partner |
| scarper | to run off (from Italian scappare, to escape or run away or from rhyming slang Scapa Flow, to go) |
| schlumph | drink |
| scotch | leg (scotch egg=leg) |
| screech | mouth, speak |
| sharpy | policeman (from — charpering omi) |
| sharpy polone | policewoman |
| shush | steal (from client) |
| shush bag | hold-all |
| shyker/shyckle | wig (mutation of the Yiddish sheitel Sheitel Sheitel is the Yiddish word for a wig or half-wig worn by Orthodox Jewish married women in order to conform with the requirement of Jewish Law to cover their hair. This practice is part of the modesty-related dress standard called tzniut. The word seems to be derived from the German word... ) |
| slap | makeup |
| so | homosexual (e.g. "Is he 'so'?") |
| stimps | legs |
| stimpcovers | stockings, hosiery |
| strides | trousers |
| strillers | piano |
| switch | wig |
| thews | thighs |
| tober | road (a Shelta word, Irish bóthar) |
| todd (Sloanne) | alone |
| tootsie trade | sex between two passive homosexuals (as in: 'I don't do tootsie trade') |
| trade Trade (Homosexual) Trade is a gay slang term originating from Polari and refers to the casual partner of a gay man or to the genre of such partners... |
sex, sex-partner, potential sex-partner |
| troll | to walk about (esp. looking for trade) |
| vada/varder | to see (from Italian — dialect vardare = guardare - look at) vardered — vardering |
| vera (lynn) | gin |
| vogue | cigarette (from Lingua Franca — fogus - "fire, smoke") |
| vogueress | female smoker |
| willets | breasts |
| yews | (from French "yeux") eyes |
| zhoosh | style hair, tart up, mince (Romani - "zhouzho" - clean, neat) zhoosh our riah — style our hair |
| zhooshy | showy |
Polari in use
"Omies and palones of the juryJury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
, vada well at the eek of the poor ome who stands before you, his lallies trembling." (Taken from "Bona Law", a sketch from Round The Horne
Round the Horne
Round the Horne was a BBC Radio comedy programme, transmitted in four series of weekly episodes from 1965 until 1968. The series was created by Barry Took and Marty Feldman - with others contributing to later series after Feldman returned to performing — and starred Kenneth Horne, with Kenneth...
, written by Barry Took
Barry Took
Barry Took was an English comedian, writer and television presenter. He is best remembered in the UK for his weekly role as presenter of Points of View, a BBC TV programme in which viewers' letters criticising or praising the BBC were broadcast...
and Marty Feldman
Marty Feldman
Martin Alan "Marty" Feldman was an English comedy writer, comedian and actor who starred in a series of British television comedy shows, including At Last the 1948 Show, and Marty, which won two BAFTA awards and was the first Saturn Award winner for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Young...
)
(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
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
)
(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 the memoirs of renowned gay journalist Peter Burton, Parallel Lives)
(Translation: "As young men...we would style our hair, powder our faces, climb into our fabulous new clothes, don our shoes and wander/walk off to some fabulous little bar. In the bar we would stand around with our gay companions, look at the fabulous 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
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
clenched between our teeth.")
See also
- African American Vernacular EnglishAfrican American Vernacular EnglishAfrican American Vernacular English —also called African American English; less precisely Black English, Black Vernacular, Black English Vernacular , or Black Vernacular English —is an African American variety of American English...
(sometimes called Ebonics) - Caló (Chicano)Caló (Chicano)Caló is an argot or slang of Mexican Spanish which originated during the first half of the 20th century in the Southwestern United States. It is the product of zoot-suit pachuco culture.-Origin:...
- CarnyCarnyCarny or carnie is a slang term used in North America and, along with showie, in Australia for a carnival employee, as well as the language they employ...
, North American fairground cant - Fairground (disambiguation)
- Bahasa BinanBahasa BinanBahasa Binan is a dialect of Indonesian originating with the gay community. It has several regular patterns of word formation and is documented in both writing and speech....
- Gayle language
- Lavender linguisticsLavender linguisticsLavender linguistics is a term used by linguists, most notably William Leap, to describe the study of language used by gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer speakers. It "encompass[es] a wide range of everyday language practices" in LGBTQ communities. The term derives from the longterm...
- LunfardoLunfardoLunfardo is a dialect originated and developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the lower classes in Buenos Aires and the surrounding Gran Buenos Aires, and from there spread to other cities nearby, such as Rosario and Montevideo, cities with similar socio-cultural situations...
and VesreVesreVesre is one of the features of Rioplatense Spanish slang. Natives of Buenos Aires and Uruguay use vesre sparingly in colloquial speaking, and never in formal circumstances... - Rhyming slang
- RotwelschRotwelschRotwelsch or Gaunersprache is a secret language, a cant or thieves' argot, spoken by covert groups primarily in southern Germany and Switzerland.-Origin and development:...
- SwardspeakSwardspeakSwardspeak is an argot or cant slang derived from Englog and used by a number of homosexuals in the Philippines.-Description:...
- Thieves' cantThieves' cantThieves' cant or Rogues' cant was a secret language which was formerly used by thieves, beggars and hustlers of various kinds in Great Britain and to a lesser extent in other English-speaking countries...
- VerlanVerlanVerlan is an argot in the French language, featuring inversion of syllables in a word, and is common in slang and youth language. It rests on a long French tradition of transposing syllables of individual words to create slang words...
- IsiNgqumoIsiNgqumoIsiNgqumo is an argot used by the homosexuals of South Africa and Zimbabwe who speak Bantu languages, as opposed to Gayle, a language used by the homosexuals of South Africa who speak Germanic languages. IsiNgqumo developed during the 1980s...
External links
- Chris Denning's article on Polari with bibliography
- Hugh Young's Lexicon of Polari
- The Polari Bible compiled by The Manchester Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
- Colin Richardson, The Guardian, 17 January 2005, "What brings you trolling back, then?"
- BBC - Voices, An interview with four members of a project for older gay men. (In voice clip 2, Polari is spoken)
- Polari FAQ
- Juha's Polari album
- Liverpool Museums: The secret language of polari