Polari(fromItalianparlare'to talk') is a form ofslangorcanthistorically used primarily in theUnited Kingdomby some actors, circus and fairground performers,professional wrestlers,merchant navysailors,criminalsandprostitutes,and particularly among thegay subculture.
Polari | |
---|---|
Palare, Parlary, Palarie, Palari | |
Region | United Kingdom |
Native speakers | None[1] |
English-basedslangand otherIndo-Europeaninfluences | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | pld |
Glottolog | pola1249 |
There is some debate about its origins,[2]but it can be traced to at least the 19th century and possibly as early as the 16th century.[3]Polari has a long-standing connection withPunch and Judystreet puppeteers, who traditionally used it to converse.[4]
Terminology
editAlternative spellings includeParlare,Parlary,Palare,PalarieandPalari.
Description
editPolari is a mixture of Romance (Italian[5]orMediterranean Lingua Franca),Romani,rhyming slang,sailors' slang andthieves' cant,which later expanded to contain words fromYiddishand 1960sdrug subcultureslang. It was constantly evolving, with a small core lexicon of about 20 words, including:bona(good),[6]ajax(nearby),eek(face),cod(bad, in the sense of tacky or vile),naff(bad, in the sense of drab or dull, though borrowed into mainstream British English with a meaning more like that ofcod),lattie(room, house, flat),nanti(not, no),omi(man),palone(woman),riah(hair),zhooshortjuz(smarten up, stylise),TBH('to be had', sexually accessible),trade(sex) andvada(see).[7]
There were once two distinct forms of Polari in London: anEast Endversion which stressedCockneyrhyming slang and aWest Endversion which stressed theatrical and classical influences. There was some interchange between the two.[8]
Usage
editFrom the 19th century on, Polari was used in London fish markets, theatres, fairgrounds, and circuses, hence the many borrowings fromRomani.[9]As many homosexual men worked in theatrical entertainment, it was also used among the gay subculture to disguise homosexuals from hostile outsiders andundercover policemen.It was also used extensively in the BritishMerchant Navy,where many gay men worked as waiters, stewards, and entertainers.[10]
AlthoughWilliam Shakespeareused the termbona(good, attractive) inHenry IV, Part 2as part of the expressionbona roba(a woman wearing an attractive outfit),[11]"little written evidence of Polari before the 1890s" exists according toOxford English Dictionaryassociate editorPeter Gilliver.The dictionary's entry forrozzer(policeman) includes a quote from P. H. Emerson's 1893 bookSignor Lippo – Burnt Cork Artiste:[12]"If the rozzers was to see him in bona clobber they'd take him for a gun" ( "If the police were to see him dressed in this fine manner, they would know that he is a thief" ).[11]
The almost identicalParlyareehas been spoken in fairgrounds since at least the 17th century[13]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 andback slang.
Henry Mayhewgave an account of Polari as part of an interview with aPunch and Judyshowman 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).[14]Mayhew provides the following:
Punch Talk
"Bona Parle"means language; name of patter."Yeute munjare"– no food."Yeute lente"– no bed."Yeute bivare"– no drink. I've"yeute munjare",and"yeute bivare",and, what's worse,"yeute lente".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.[4]
There are additional accounts of particular words that relate to puppet performance: "'Slumarys' – figures, frame, scenes, properties. 'Slum' – call, or unknown tongue "[4]( "unknown" is a reference to the "swazzle",a voice modifier used by Punch performers).
Decline
editPolari had begun to fall into disuse among the gay subculture by the late 1960s. The popularity of the BBC radio comedyRound the Horne,with itscampgay charactersJulian and Sandy,ensured that some of the Polari terms they used became public knowledge.[15]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 theSexual Offences Act 1967;in the 1970s, thegay liberationmovement began to view Polari as old-fashioned and perpetuating harmful camp stereotypes.[16]
Mainstream usage
editA 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.
The Polari wordnaff,meaning inferior or tacky, has an uncertain etymology.Michael Quinionsays it is probably from the 16th-century Italian wordgnaffa,meaning "a despicable person".[17]There are a number offalse etymologies,many based onbackronyms— "Not Available For Fucking", "Normal As Fuck", etc. The phrase "naff off" was usedeuphemisticallyin place of "fuck off" along with theintensifier"naffing" inKeith Waterhouse'sBilly Liar(1959).[18]Usage of "naff" increased in the 1970s when thetelevisionsitcomPorridgeemployed it as an alternative to expletives which were not broadcastable at the time.[17]Princess Anneallegedly told a reporter to "naff off" at the Badminton horse trials in April 1982,[19]however, the photographers who were present have since stated that this was a censored version of what she actually said.[20]
"Zhoosh"(/ʒʊʃ,ʒuːʃ/;[21]alternatively spelled "zhuzh,""jeuje,"and a number of other variety spellings[22]), meaning to smarten up, style or improve something, became commonplace in the mid-2000s, having been used in the 2003 United States TV seriesQueer Eye for the Straight GuyandWhat Not to Wear.[citation needed]"Jush",an alternative spelling of the word, was popularised by drag queenJasmine Mastersafter her appearance on theseventh seriesofRuPaul's Drag Racein 2015.[23][24]
Legacy and revival
editSince the late 20th and early 21st century, there has been a renewed interest in Polari, especially as a part of LGBTQ+ heritage.[25][26][27]Gay's the Wordhas held workshops in Polari, theSisters of Perpetual Indulgencehave translated the Bible into Polari,[28]and Madame Jo Jo's nightclub in Soho taught its staff to speak Polari.[29]
LinguistPaul Bakerattributes increased interest in Polari primarily to the growing body of academic work on the subject.[25][26]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.[26]
In 2007, writer and activistPaul Burstonlaunched Polari Literary Salon in London to platform LGBTQ+ writers. He launched thePolari First Book Prizein 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.[30][31]Other organisations have also taken names inspired by Polari, such asPolari Magazine,[32]Vada Magazine,[33]and VADA LGBTQ Community Theatre Company.[34]
In 2012 and 2013, Manchester artists Jez Dolan and Joe Richardson presented a performance-based tour and exhibition titledPolari Mission,which explored LGBTQ+ history and language use in the UK. This was presented atThe John Rylands LibraryandContact Theatre.[35]In 2015, Dolan also translated sections of the 1957Wolfenden Reportinto Polari for a commission from the UK Parliament.[36][37]Dolan and Richardson also worked with Paul Baker to produce a 500-word dictionary of Polari as an app.[38]
In December 2016, to launch LGBT+ History Month 2017 and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the1967 Sexual Offences Act,poetAdam Loweperformed his Polari poem "Vada That" in Parliament'sSpeaker's Housewith accompaniment by musician Nikki Franklin.[39]In 2017, a service atWestcott House, Cambridgewas conducted in Polari. Trainee priests held the service to commemorateLGBT History Month;following media attention,Chris Chivers,the principal, expressed his regret.[40][41][42][43]
In 2019,Reaktion Bookspublished Paul Baker's third book on Polari,Fabulosa!: The Story of Polari, Britain's Secret Gay Language.[44][45]His first two books on the subject (Polari: Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay SlangandPolari: The Lost Language of Gay Men) were published in 2002 and 2003, respectively.[46]
In popular culture
edit- Polari (spelt "Polare" ) was popularised on the 1960s BBC radio showRound the Horne.Thecampgay Polari-speaking charactersJulian and Sandywere played byHugh PaddickandKenneth Williams.[47]
- In theDoctor WhoserialCarnival of Monsters(1973), Vorg, a showman, attempts to converse with the Doctor in Polari.[48]
- Ralph Filthy, atheatrical agentplayed byNigel Planerin the BBC TV seriesFilthy Rich & Catflap,regularly used Polari.[49]
- In 1990Morrisseyreleased 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 albumBona Drag,whose title is also taken from Polari.[50]
- InDoom Patrol,Danny the Streetoften speaks Polari.[51]
- In his 1995 novel,Behind Closed Doors,Coronation StreetcreatorTony Warrendepicts his characters using Polari on thegay sceneof 1950s Manchester.[52]
- In the 1998 filmVelvet Goldmine,two characters speak Polari in a London nightclub. The scene has English subtitles in the American release of the film.[16]
- In 2018, George Reiner and Penny Burkett, publishedcruising for lavs,written mostly in Polari.[25]
- 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 inSeville,Spain. Thelibrettowas written in Polari by librettist andplaywrightFabrizio Funari and the music is by Germán Alonso.[53]
- The same year, the English-language localisation of the Japanese video gameDragon Quest Builders 2included a character called Jules, who spoke in Polari with non-standard capitalisation.[54][55]
- In the 2020 filmRoald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse,a youngRoald Dahlruns away from home and meets "a silver-tongued, Polari-speaking eccentric who may be a figment of the boy's imagination" played byBill Bailey.[56]
- In 2023,Peepal Tree PresspublishedAdam Lowe's debut poetry collectionPatterflash,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".[57]
- In the fourth episode ofFunny Woman(2024), characters discuss BBC Radio using Polari inRound the Horneand visit a comedy club where gay and entertainment-industry characters converse in Polari.[58]
- British singerOlly Alexanderreleased his debut albumPolarion 7 February 2025.[59]
Glossary
editNumbers:
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[44] | one hundred | cento |
Some words or phrases that may derive from Polari (this is an incomplete list):
Word | Definition |
---|---|
acdc,bibi | bisexual[60]: 49 |
ajax | nearby (shortened form of "adjacent to" )[60]: 49 |
alamo! | they're attractive! (viaacronym"LMO" meaning "Lick Me Out!" )[60]: 52, 59 |
arva | to have sex (from Italianchiavare,to screw)[61] |
aunt nell | listen![60]: 52 |
aunt nells | ears[60]: 45 |
aunt nelly fakes | earrings[60]: 59, 60 |
barney | a fight[60]: 164 |
bat,batts,bates | shoes[60]: 164 |
bevvy | drink (diminutive of "beverage" )[6] |
bitch | effeminate or passive gay man |
bijou | small/little (from French, jewel)[60]: 57 |
bitaine | whore (Frenchputain) |
blag | pick up[60]: 46 |
bold | homosexual[61] |
bona | good[60]: 26, 32, 85 |
bona nochy | goodnight (from Italian –buona notte)[60]: 52 |
butch | masculine; masculine lesbian[60]: 167 |
buvare | a drink; something drinkable (from Italian –bereor old-fashioned Italian –bevereor Lingua Francabevire)[60]: 167 |
cackle | talk/gossip[60]: 168 |
camp | effeminate (possibly from Italiancampareorcampeggiare"emphasise, make stand out" ) (possibly from the phrase 'camp follower' those itinerants who followed behind the men in uniform/highly decorative dress) |
capello,capella,capelli,kapella | hat (from Italian –cappello)[60]: 168 |
carsey,karsey,khazi | toilet[60]: 168 |
cartes | penis (from Italian –cazzo)[60]: 97 |
cats | trousers[60]: 168 |
charper | to search or to look (from Italianacchiappare,to catch)[60]: 168 |
charpering omi | policeman |
charver | sexual intercourse[60]: 46 |
chicken | young man |
clevie | vagina[62] |
clobber | clothes[60]: 138, 139, 169 |
cod | bad[60]: 169 |
corybungus | backside, posterior[62] |
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 |
cove | taxi[60]: 61 |
dhobi/dhobie/dohbie | wash (from Hindi,dohb)[60]: 171 |
Dilly boy | a male prostitute, from Piccadilly boy |
Dilly, the | Piccadilly, a place where trolling went on |
dinari | money (Latin 'denarii' was the 'd' of the pre decimal penny. This word is cognate with the Spanish word 'dinero' also meaning money)[63] |
dish | buttocks[60]: 45 |
dolly | pretty, nice, pleasant, (from Irishdóighiúil/Scottish Gaelicdòigheil,handsome, pronounced 'doil') |
dona | woman (perhaps from Italiandonnaor Lingua Francadona)[60]: 26 |
ecaf | face (backslang)[60]: 58, 210 |
eek/eke[44] | face (abbreviation of ecaf)[60]: 58, 210 |
ends | hair[6] |
esong,sedon | nose (backslang)[60]: 31 |
fambles | hands[62] |
fantabulosa | fabulous/wonderful |
farting crackers | trousers[62] |
feele/feely/filly | child/young (from the Italianfiglio,for son) |
feele omi/feely omi | young man |
flowery | lodgings, accommodations[62] |
fogus | tobacco |
fortuni | gorgeous, beautiful[62] |
fruit | gay man |
funt | pound £ (Yiddish) |
fungus | old man/beard[62] |
gelt | money (Yiddish) |
handbag | money |
hoofer | dancer |
HP(homy palone) | effeminate gay man |
irish | wig (from rhyming slang, "Irish jig" ) |
jarry | food, alsomangarie(from Italianmangiareor Lingua Francamangiaria) |
jubes | breasts |
kaffies | trousers |
lacoddy, lucoddy | body |
lallies/lylies | legs, sometimes also knees (as in "get down on yer lallies" ) |
lallie tappers | feet |
latty/lattie | room, house or flat |
lau | lay or place upon[64] |
lavs | words[65](Irish:labhairtto speak) |
lills | hands |
lilly | police (Lilly Law) |
lyles | legs (prob. from "Lisle stockings" ) |
luppers | fingers (from Yiddishlapa– paw) |
mangarie | food, alsojarry(from Italianmangiareor Lingua Francamangiaria) |
manky | worthless, dirty (from Italianmancare– "to be lacking" )[66] |
martinis | hands |
measures | money |
medza/medzer | half (from Italianmezzo) |
medzered | divided[67] |
meese | plain, ugly (fromYiddishmieskeit,in turn from Hebrew מָאוּס repulsive, loathsome, despicable, abominable) |
meshigener | nutty, crazy, mental (fromYiddish'meshugge', in turn from Hebrew מְשֻׁגָּע crazy) |
meshigener carsey | church[65] |
metzas | money (from Italianmezzi,"means, wherewithal" ) |
mince | walk affectedly |
mollying | involved in the act of sex[68] |
mogue | deceive |
munge | darkness |
naff | awful, dull, hetero |
nana | evil |
nanti | not, no, none (from Italian,niente) |
national handbag | dole, welfare, government financial assistance |
nishta | nothing[6]from yiddish nishto נישטא meaning nothing |
ogle | look admiringly |
ogles | eyes |
oglefakes | glasses |
omi | man (from Romance) |
omi-palone | effeminate man, or homosexual |
onk | nose (cf "conk" ) |
orbs | eyes |
orderly daughters | police |
oven | mouth (nanti pots in the oven = no teeth in the mouth) |
palare/polari pipe | telephone ( "talk pipe" ) |
palliass | back |
park,parker | give |
plate | feet (Cockney rhyming slang "plates of meat" ); to fellate |
palone | woman (Italianpaglione– "straw mattress"; cf. old Canthay-bag– "woman" ); also spelled "polony" inGraham Greene's 1938 novelBrighton Rock |
palone-omi | lesbian |
pots | teeth |
quongs | testicles |
reef | touch |
remould | sex change |
rozzer | policeman[11] |
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 Italianscappare,to escape or run away or from rhyming slang Scapa Flow, to go) |
scharda | shame (from Germanschade,"a shame" or "a pity" ) |
schlumph | drink |
schmutter | apparel[69]from Yiddish shmatte שמאטע meaning rag |
schooner | bottle |
scotch | leg (scotch egg=leg) |
screech | mouth, speak |
screeve | write[69](either from Irishscríobh/Scottish Gaelicsgrìobh,Scotsscrieveto write or italian 'scrivere' meaning to write) |
sharpy | policeman (from – charpering omi) |
sharpy polone | policewoman |
shush | steal (from client) |
shush bag | hold-all |
shyker/shyckle | wig (mutation of the Yiddishsheitel) |
slap | makeup |
so | homosexual (e.g. "Is he 'so'?" ) |
stimps | legs |
stimpcovers | stockings, hosiery |
strides | trousers |
strillers | piano |
switch | wig |
TBH(to be had) | prospective sexual conquest |
thews | thighs |
tober | road (aSheltaword, Irishbóthar); temporary site for a circus, carnival |
todd (Sloan)ortod | alone |
tootsie trade | sex between two passive homosexuals (as in: 'I don't do tootsie trade') |
trade | sex, sex-partner, potential sex-partner |
troll | to walk about (esp. looking for trade) |
vada/varder | to see (from Italian dialectvardare=guardare– look at)
vardered – vardering |
vera(lynn) | gin |
vogue | cigarette (from Lingua Francafogus– "fire, smoke" ) |
vogueress | female smoker |
wallop | dance[70] |
willets | breasts |
yeute | no, none |
yews | (from French "yeux" ) eyes |
zhoosh | style hair, tart up, mince (cf. Romanizhouzho– "clean, neat" ) zhoosh our riah – style our hair |
zhooshy | showy |
Usage examples
editOmies and palones of thejury,vada well at the eek of the poor ome who stands before you, his lallies trembling.– taken from "Bona Law", one of theJulian and Sandysketches fromRound The Horne,written byBarry TookandMarty 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 byMorrissey
- 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 fromParallel Lives,the memoirs of renowned gay journalistPeter 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 unlitcigaretteclenched between our teeth. "
In theAre 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).[71]
See also
edit- 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
- LunfardoandVesre
- Mediterranean Lingua Franca
- Pajubá
- Julian and Sandy
- Rotwelsch
- Shelta
- Swardspeak,argot used by LGBT people in the Philippines
- Verlan
- Lubunca
References
edit- ^PolariatEthnologue(18th ed., 2015)(subscription required)
- ^Quinion, Michael (1996)."How bona to vada your eek!".WorldWideWords.Archived fromthe originalon 7 September 2019.Retrieved20 February2006.
- ^Collins English Dictionary,Third Edition
- ^abcMayhew, Henry (1968).London Labour and the London Poor, 1861.Vol. 3. New York: Dover Press. p. 47.
- ^"British Spies: Licensed to be Gay."Time.19 August 2008. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
- ^abcd"The secret language of polari – Merseyside Maritime Museum, Liverpool museums".Liverpoolmuseums.org.uk.Retrieved5 July2018.
- ^Baker, Paul (2002) Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang. London: ContinuumISBN0-8264-5961-7
- ^David McKenna,A Storm in a Teacup,Channel 4 Television, 1993.
- ^Jivani, Alkarim (January 1997).It's not unusual: a history of lesbian and gay Britain in the twentieth century.Bloomington.ISBN0253333482.OCLC37115577.
{{cite book}}
:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^"Gay men in the Merchant Marine".Liverpool Maritime Museum.Retrieved9 May2018.
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- ^Partridge, Eric (1937)Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English
- ^Punch and Judy.John Payne Collier;with Illustrations byGeorge Cruikshank.London: Thomas Hailes Lacey, 1859.
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- ^abBaker, Paul (22 March 2019)."What's Polari?".Fabulosa! The Story of Polari, Britain's Secret Gay Language.Lancaster University.Retrieved11 April2024.
- ^abQuinion, Michael."Naff".World Wide Words.Retrieved10 January2010.
- ^Waterhouse, Keith (1959).Billy Liar.Michael Joseph.pp. 35, 46.ISBN0-7181-1155-9. p35"Naff off, Stamp, for Christ sake!"p46"Well which one of them's got the naffing engagement ring?"
- ^The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional EnglishDalzell and Victor (eds.) Routledge, 2006, Vol. II p. 1349.
- ^Llewelyn, Abbie (8 September 2019)."Princess never said 'naff off' -- 'We made it up'".Daily Express.London.Retrieved28 January2022.
- ^"Definition for zhoosh – Oxford Dictionaries Online (World English)".Oxforddictionaries.Archived fromthe originalon 11 September 2017.Retrieved9 May2018.
- ^Phelan, Hayley (31 January 2022)."'Jeuje,' 'Zhoosh,' 'Zhuzh': A Word of Many Spellings, and Meanings ".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 13 October 2023.Retrieved12 January2024.
- ^"Jasmine Masters the meaning of jush".7 April 2017.Retrieved26 November2022– via YouTube.
- ^Schiller, Rebecca (4 June 2018)."'Drag Race' Queen Jasmine Masters Explains What 'Jush' Means: Watch ".Billboard.Retrieved26 November2022.
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- ^abc"The new book written in Polari, a secret language for queer survival".Dazed.25 September 2018.Retrieved12 October2024.
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- ^Forward, Stuart (27 November 2012)."Meet the Team".Retrieved12 October2024.
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- ^"Wolfenden by Jez Dolan".UK Parliament.Retrieved21 June2024.
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- ^"Parliament's Speaker's Chamber Goes Rainbow to Launch LGBT History Month 2017".LGBT+ History Month.1 December 2016.Retrieved21 June2024.
- ^"Church 'regret' as trainees hold service in gay slang".BBC News.4 February 2017.Retrieved4 February2017.
- ^Sherwood, Harriet (3 February 2017)."C of E college apologises for students' attempt to 'queer evening prayer'".The Guardian.London.
- ^Flood, Rebecca (4 February 2017)."Church expresses 'huge regret' after Cambridge LGBT commemoration service held in gay slang language".The Independent.London.Retrieved9 May2018.
- ^Robb, Simon (4 February 2017)."Priests delivered a service in gay slang and the church weren't happy".Metro.London.Retrieved9 May2018.
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- ^Baker 2003,p. 161.
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Bibliography
edit- Baker, Paul (2002).Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang.London: Continuum.ISBN0-8264-5961-7.
- Baker, Paul (2003).Polari: The Lost Language of Gay Men.London: Routledge.ISBN978-1-134-50635-4.
- Baker, Paul (2019).Fabulosa!: The Story of Polari, Britain's Secret Gay Language.London: Reaktion Books.ISBN978-1-78914-168-9.
- Elmes, Simon;Rosen, Michael(2002).Word of Mouth.Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-866263-7.
External links
edit- The Polari Bible compiled by The Manchester Sisters of Perpetual IndulgenceArchived12 April 2016 at theWayback Machine
- Polari Mission exhibit(archived) at theUniversity of Manchester'sJohn 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 Dictionarybased on Paul Baker's glossary and dictionary