Dish me the dirt on Polari

Q. What is Polari

A. Polari (or Palarie) was a gay slang, almost an alternative language, and is best described as a mish-mash of expressions and words from many sources thrown together to make an exclusive jargon. Now largely defunct, a few words such as 'bona' (good) can still be found in gay publications, used for camp effect.

Q. Where does the name come from

A. Originating in the mid 19th century, the word comes ultimately from the Italian parlare, to speak, via the theatrical language Parlyaree.

Q. What's the story

A. Polari itself was never clearly defined. It mutated and even had dialects. In London, for example, there was a West End dialect, based on theatrical langauge, which was posher than the East End dialect, which leant more on the language of boatmen and canal workers.

The sources of the vocabulary were wide, and took in English (backslang, where words are said backwards, rhyming slang, circus slang, canal-speak and criminal cant), Italian, Yiddish, Romany, Latin and Lingua Franca.

Gay slang in Britain dates back to the homosexual subculture of the 18th century, when homosexuals mixed with lowlifes and outcasts to produce a rich cross-fertilisation of customs, phrases and traditions. As the towns grew during the Industrial Revolution, there was a greater concentration of such sub-cultures, and the springing up of molly houses - private clubs for men to meet, drink and have sex together - encouraged the creation of a homosexual identity.

A linguistic culture grew out of this, taking theatre language as its model.

The travelling showmen's language, Parlarey, contained a lot of words borrowed from Lingua Franca, a mixture of Italian, Spanish, Greek and Latin, so there are many instances of Italian-sounding words and phrases. Omee, man (uomo in Italian), and dinarly, money (dinero in Spanish) are two examples.

By the mid 20th century Polari had developed into its 'classic' form, and it became a tool with which to confuse and confound the naff omees (straight men). Sea queens, gay sailors, exported the language, and regional dialects could be found in English-speaking countries throughout the world.

Its heyday was the 1950s and 1960s, with gay clubs springing up all over the country.

By the 1970s, however, with male homosexuality now legalised, the need for an exclusive language was less acute and Polari began to die out. Not before it had influenced mainstream speech to a degree that many would be surprised to learn, however.

Q. Any more examples

A.

acqua = water (Italian, acqua)

ajax = near by (adjacent )

Aunt Nell = ears

barcy = sailor (Italian, barca = boat)

bevvy = brink (Italian, bevere = to drink)

bijou bar = gay bar

blag = pick someone up

boner nochy = good night (Italian, buona notte)

camp = affectedly over the top

carsey/khazi = toilet (Italian, casa = house)

cottage = public toilet

crimper = hairdresser

dewey = two

dishing the dirt = having a good gossip

dosh = money

drag = clothes

ecaf/eek = face (backslang)

-ette = diminutive suffix (from French)

fake = make do (Italian, facciare = to make)

glossy = magazine

jarry = eat (Italian, mangiare = to eat)

lingo = language

manky = bad, tasteless (Italian, mancare = to lack)

meshigner = crazy (Yiddish, meshuggener = crazy man)

naff = bad (acronym, normal as f***)

nix = not, nothing (German, nichts = not)

ponce = pimp

riah = hair (backslang)

trade = casual sex, person offering it

troll = go, walk

varda = see, look (Venetian Italian, vardia = a look)

Q. Many of these seem familiar. Why's that

A. Because the popularity of characters such as Julian and Sandy (see below) and other gay performers meant that people adopted their catchphrases without knowing the origins of the words. But it also arises from the fact that Polari assimilated words from other slang cants that also found their way directly into mainstream speech.

Q. And how did the naff omee public get to know about it

A. Polari featured heavily in the hugely popular 'Julian and Sandy' sketches on the BBC radio comedy programme Round the Horne in the 1960s. Played by two gay actors - Hugh Paddick (Julian) and Kenneth Williams (Sandy) - the two Carnaby Street boys had the nation in stitches from 1965 to the end of the decade. 'Hello, my name's Julian and this is my friend Sandy,' began each sketch, and there followed a tirade of ribald Polari and innuendo. Amazingly it passed the then rigorous censors - remember that male homosexual acts were still illegal in Britain at the time - and this is how Polari became popularised in the mainstream.

Try these for more on the history of Polari and other examples of this unique argot

Fabulosa!: The Story of Polari, Britain's Secret Gay Language

http://www.chris-d.net/polari/

http://www2.prestel.co.uk/cello/Polari.htm

http://www.stg.brown.edu/webs/corre/franca/edition3/polari.3.html

http://nz.com/NZ/Queer/Polari/

http://members.nbci.com/MrRDunn/polari-dict.html

See also the articles on Lingua Franca and rhyming slang

For more on Phrases & Sayings click here

By Simon Smith