View source for Polari

{{Short description|Form of slang}}
{{Infobox language
| name          = Polari
| nativename    = Palare, Parlary, Palarie, Palari
| region        = United Kingdom and Ireland
| speakers      = none
| ref           = e18
| familycolor   =  creole
| family        =  English-based [[slang]]
| iso3          = pld
| glotto        = pola1249
| glottorefname = Polari
| notice        = IPA
}}
'''Polari''' ({{ety|it|parlare|to talk}}) is a form of [[slang]] or [[Cant (language)|cant]] used in [[United Kingdom|Britain]] and [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] by some actors, circus and fairground showmen, [[Professional wrestling|professional wrestlers]], [[merchant navy]] sailors, [[Crime|criminals]], [[sex worker]]s, and the [[Sexuality and gender identity-based cultures|gay subculture]]. There is some debate about its origins,<ref>{{cite web|author=Quinion, Michael|year=1996|title=How bona to vada your eek!|work=WorldWideWords|url=http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/polari.htm|access-date=20 February 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190907173251/http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/polari.htm|archive-date=7 September 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> but it can be traced back to at least the 19th century and possibly as far as the 16th century.<ref>''Collins English Dictionary'', Third Edition</ref> There is a long-standing connection with [[Punch and Judy]] street puppet performers, who traditionally used Polari to converse.<ref name="Mayhew">{{cite book|author=Mayhew, Henry|title=London Labour and the London Poor, 1861|volume=3|publisher=Dover Press|location=New York|date=1968|page=47}}</ref>

==Terminology==
Alternate spellings include ''Parlare'', ''Parlary'', ''Palare'', ''Palarie'', and ''Palari''.

==Description==
[[File:Polari Rainbow Plaque.jpg|thumb|right|[[Leeds Pride#Rainbow Plaques|Rainbow Plaque]] on [[Leeds City Varieties]] theatre]]
Polari is a mixture of Romance ([[Italian language|Italian]]<ref name="BritishSpiesLicensed">"[https://web.archive.org/web/20080822213014/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1833896,00.html?cnn=yes British Spies: Licensed to be Gay]." ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''. 19 August 2008. Retrieved 9 May 2018.</ref> or [[Mediterranean Lingua Franca]]), [[Romani language|Romani]], [[rhyming slang]], sailor slang, and [[thieves' cant]]. Later it expanded to contain words from the [[Yiddish language]] and from 1960s [[drug subculture]] slang. It was a constantly developing form of language, with a small core lexicon of about 20 words, including: ''{{lang|pld|bona}}'' (good<ref name="liverpoolmuseums.org.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime/visit/floor-plan/life-at-sea/gaylife/polari.aspx|title=The secret language of polari - Merseyside Maritime Museum, Liverpool museums|website=Liverpoolmuseums.org.uk|access-date=5 July 2018}}</ref>), ''{{lang|pld|ajax}}'' (nearby), ''{{lang|pld|eek}}'' (face), ''{{lang|pld|cod}}'' (bad, in the sense of tacky or vile), ''{{lang|pld|naff}}'' (bad, in the sense of drab or dull, though borrowed into mainstream British English with the sense of the aforementioned ''{{lang|pld|cod}}''), ''{{lang|pld|lattie}}'' (room, house, flat, i.e. room to let), ''{{lang|pld|nanti}}'' (not, no), ''{{lang|pld|omi}}'' (man), ''{{lang|pld|palone}}'' (woman), ''{{lang|pld|riah}}'' (hair), ''{{lang|pld|zhoosh}}'' or ''{{lang|pld|tjuz}}'' (smarten up, stylize), ''{{lang|pld|TBH}}'' ("to be had", sexually accessible), ''{{lang|pld|trade}}'' (sex), and ''{{lang|pld|vada}}'' (see), and over 500 other lesser-known words.<ref>Baker, Paul (2002) Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang. London: Continuum {{ISBN|0-8264-5961-7}}</ref> According to a [[Channel 4]] television documentary,<ref>David McKenna, ''A Storm in a Teacup'', Channel 4 Television, 1993.</ref> there was once (in London) an "[[East End of London|East End]]" version which stressed Cockney rhyming slang and a "[[West End of London|West End]]" version which stressed theatrical and Classical influences. There was some interchange between the two.

==Usage==
From the 19th century on, Polari was used in London fishmarkets, the theatre, fairgrounds, and circuses, hence the many borrowings from [[Romani language|Romani]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=It's not unusual : a history of lesbian and gay Britain in the twentieth century|author=Jivani, Alkarim|isbn=0253333482|location=Bloomington|oclc=37115577|date = January 1997}}</ref> As many homosexual men worked in theatrical entertainment it was also used among the gay subculture, at a time when homosexual activity was illegal, to disguise homosexuals from hostile outsiders and [[undercover police]]men. It was also used extensively in the British [[Merchant navy|Merchant Navy]], where many gay men joined [[ocean liner]]s and [[cruise ships]] as waiters, stewards, and entertainers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime/visit/floor-plan/life-at-sea/gaylife/ |title=Gay men in the Merchant Marine |publisher=[[Liverpool Maritime Museum]] |access-date=9 May 2018 }}</ref>

[[William Shakespeare]] used the term ''bona'' (good, attractive) in ''[[Henry IV, Part 2]]'', part of the expression ''bona roba'' (a lady wearing an attractive outfit).<ref name=guardian>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2000/dec/10/life1.lifemagazine3 |author=Beverley D'Silva |work=[[The Observer]] |title=Mind your language |date=10 December 2000 |access-date=9 May 2018 }}</ref> However, "there's little written evidence of Polari before the 1890s," according to [[Peter Gilliver]], associate editor of the ''Oxford English Dictionary''. The dictionary's entry for rozzer (policeman), for example, includes this quote from an 1893 book (P. H. Emerson's ''Signor Lippo – Burnt Cork Artiste''):<ref>{{cite web|url=https://word-ancestry.livejournal.com/71450.html#/71450.html|title=Historical Origins of English Words and Phrases|website=[[Live Journal]]|date=24 October 2008|access-date=9 May 2018}}</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 dressed in this fine manner, they would know that he is a thief).<ref name=guardian/>

The almost identical ''Parlyaree'' has been spoken in fairgrounds since at least the 17th century<ref>Partridge, Eric (1937) ''Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English''</ref> 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 Romani, as well as other languages and [[argot]]s spoken by travelling people, such as [[Thieves' 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 ([[John Payne Collier]]'s account calls him Porchini, a literal rendering of the Italian pronunciation).<ref>''Punch and Judy''. [[John Payne Collier]]; with Illustrations by [[George Cruikshank]]. London: Thomas Hailes Lacey, 1859.</ref> Mayhew provides the following:
<blockquote>
''Punch Talk''<br />
"'{{lang|pld|Bona Parle}}' means language; name of patter. '{{lang|pld|Yeute munjare}}' – no food. '{{lang|pld|Yeute lente}}' – no bed. '{{lang|pld|Yeute bivare}}' – no drink. I've '{{lang|pld|yeute munjare}},' and '{{lang|pld|yeute bivare}},' and, what's worse, '{{lang|pld|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."<ref name="Mayhew"/></blockquote>
There are additional accounts of particular words that relate to puppet performance: "'{{lang|pld|Slumarys}}' – figures, frame, scenes, properties. '{{lang|pld|Slum}}' – call, or unknown tongue"<ref name="Mayhew"/> ("unknown" is a reference to the "[[swazzle]]", a voice modifier used by Punch performers, the structure of which was a longstanding trade secret).

===Decline===
Polari had begun to fall into disuse amongst the gay subculture by the late 1960s. The popularity of [[Julian and Sandy]], played by [[Hugh Paddick]] and [[Kenneth Williams]] (introduced in the radio programme ''[[Round the Horne]]'', in the 1960s) ensured that some of this secret language became public knowledge.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/jan/17/gayrights.comment|title=Colin Richardson: Polari, the gay slang, is being revived.|first=Colin|last=Richardson|date=17 January 2005|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=5 July 2018}}</ref> The need for a secret subculture code declined with the partial decriminalization of adult homosexual acts in England and Wales under the [[Sexual Offences Act 1967]].

{{Anchor|Naff}}
===Entry into mainstream slang===
[[File:Bona Togs shop Jersey.jpg|thumb|''Bona Togs'', a shop named in Polari.]]
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''.

The Polari word ''{{lang|pld|naff}}'', meaning inferior or tacky, has an uncertain etymology. [[Michael Quinion]] states that it is probably from the sixteenth-century Italian word ''{{lang|it|gnaffa}}'', meaning "a despicable person".<ref name="quinaff">{{cite web |url= http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-naf1.htm |title=Naff |last=Quinion |first=Michael |work=[[World Wide Words]] |access-date=10 January 2010}}</ref> There are a number of [[False etymology|false etymologies]], many based on acronyms— 'Not Available For Fucking', 'Normal As Fuck', etc. —though these are [[backronym]]s. The phrase "naff off" was used [[euphemism|euphemistically]] in place of "fuck off" along with the [[intensifier]] "naffing" in ''[[Billy Liar]]'' by [[Keith Waterhouse]] (1959).<ref name=billy1>{{cite book |last=Waterhouse |first=Keith |title=Billy Liar |publisher=[[Michael Joseph (publisher)|Michael Joseph]] |year=1959 |pages=35, 46 |isbn=0-7181-1155-9}}
''p35'' "Naff off, Stamp, for Christ sake!"&nbsp;''p46'' "Well which one of them's got the naffing engagement ring?"</ref> Usage of "naff" increased in the 1970s when the [[television]] [[Situation comedy|sitcom]] ''[[Porridge (1974 TV series)|Porridge]]'' employed it as an alternative to expletives which were not considered broadcastable at the time.<ref name=quinaff/> [[Anne, Princess Royal|Princess Anne]] allegedly famously told a reporter, "Why don't you just naff off" at the Badminton horse trials in April 1982,<ref>''The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English'' Dalzell and Victor (eds.) Routledge, 2006, Vol. II p. 1349</ref> but it has since been claimed that this was a bowdlerised version of what she actually said.<ref>{{cite news |title=Princess never said 'naff off' -- 'We made it up' |url= https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1175396/princess-anne-royal-news-princess-royal-family-latest-update-press-naff-off-spt |work=Daily Express |location= London |date=8 September 2019 |first=Abbie |last=Llewelyn |access-date=28 January 2022}}</ref>

"{{lang|pld|Zhoosh}}" ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ʒ|ʊ|ʃ}}, {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ʒ|uː|ʃ|}} or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ʒ|ʊ|ʒ}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/zhoosh|title=Definition for zhoosh – Oxford Dictionaries Online (World English) |website=Oxforddictionaries.com|access-date=9 May 2018}}</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 (2003 TV series)|Queer Eye for the Straight Guy]]'' and ''[[What Not to Wear (US)|What Not to Wear]]''.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

==In popular culture==

*[[James Thomson (poet, born 1700)|James Thomson]] added a glossary of words he thought "obsolete" in his 1825 work ''The Seasons and Castle of Indolence''.{{clarify|date=September 2020|reason=The Seasons was published in 1730 and Castle of Indolence in 1748}}  He chose to write "[[Castle of Indolence]]" "In the manner of [[Edmund Spenser]]". Two words he by then thought needed explaining were: "Eke", meaning "also", pronounced like Polari's "Eek", (face); and "Gear or Geer", meaning "furniture, equipage, dress". This last usage being maintained to this day in slang, and being then-contemporary, too, by 1960's Polari-users, avoiding Thomson's stated complete obsolescence.
* Polari was popularised in the 1960s on the popular BBC radio show ''[[Round the Horne]]'' starring [[Kenneth Horne]]. [[camp (style)|Camp]] Polari-speaking characters [[Julian and Sandy]] were played by [[Hugh Paddick]] and [[Kenneth Williams]].<ref name="Stevens">{{cite book|last=Stevens|first=Christopher|title=Born Brilliant: The Life Of Kenneth Williams|publisher=John Murray|year=2010|isbn=978-1-84854-195-5|page=206}}</ref>
* In the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' serial ''[[Carnival of Monsters]]'' from 1973, Vorg, a showman, believing the Doctor to also be a showman, attempts to converse with him in Polari. The Doctor states that he does not understand him.{{sfn|Baker|2003|p=161}}
* In 1987 character Ralph Filthy, a [[theatrical agent]] played by [[Nigel Planer]] in the BBC TV series ''[[Filthy, Rich & Catflap]]'' regularly used Polari.
* 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" is also the first song appearing on Morrissey's compilation album ''[[Bona Drag]]'', whose title is itself taken from Polari.
* In 1990, in Issue #35 of Grant Morrison's run of ''[[Doom Patrol]]'', the character Danny the Street is introduced; they speak English that is heavily flavored with Polari, with "bona to vada" ("good to see [you]") being their favorite way of greeting friends.
* In the 1999 film ''[[Velvet Goldmine]]'', two characters speak Polari while in a London nightclub. This scene contains subtitles for viewers not familiar with the language.
*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 (linguist)|Paul Baker]].
* In 2015, filmmakers Brian Fairbairn and Karl Eccleston made ''Putting on the Dish'', a short film entirely in Polari.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2015/07/28/polari_the_gay_dialect_can_be_heard_in_this_great_short_film_putting_on.html|
author= J. Bryan Lowder|title=Polari, the gay dialect, can be heard in this great short film "Putting on the Dish.|magazine=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|date=28 July 2015|access-date=9 May 2018}}</ref>
* The 2016 [[David Bowie]] album ''[[Blackstar (album)|Blackstar]]'' contains a song [[Girl Loves Me]] which utilises Polari.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/nejwg7/remembering-polari-the-forgotten-language-of-britains-gay-community |title = Remembering Polari, the Forgotten Language of Britain's Gay Community |last=Eastmond |first=Dean |website=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |publisher=[[Vice Media]]}}</ref>
* In 2017, a service at [[Westcott House, Cambridge]] (a [[Church of England]] [[theological college]]) was conducted in Polari; the service was held by trainee priests to commemorate [[LGBT History Month]]; following media attention, [[Chris Chivers]], the Principal, expressed his regret.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38863545|title=Church 'regret' as trainees hold service in gay slang|date=4 February 2017|work=[[BBC News]]|language=en-GB|access-date=2017-02-04}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/03/church-of-england-college-apologises-students-queer-evening-prayer|title=C of E college apologises for students' attempt to 'queer evening prayer'|author=Sherwood, Harriet|date=3 February 2017|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/church-of-england-gay-slang-language-service-regret-lgbt-commemoration-regret-polari-westcott-house-a7562561.html|author=Flood, Rebecca|title=Church expresses 'huge regret' after Cambridge LGBT commemoration service held in gay slang language|work=[[The Independent]]|date=4 February 2017|access-date=9 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://metro.co.uk/2017/02/04/priests-delivered-a-service-in-hilarious-gay-slang-but-the-church-werent-happy-6426464/|author=Robb, Simon|title=Priests delivered a service in gay slang and the church weren't happy|work=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]]|date=4 February 2017|access-date=9 May 2018}}</ref>
* In the 2017 EP ''Ricky'', gay singer [[Sakima (singer)|Sakima]] used Polari.<ref name=":3">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/pride/7989245/sakima-pop-outspoken-queer-voice-interview|title=Sakima's Dirty Pop: Meet Music's New Queer Voice|last=Crowley|first=Patrick|date=2017-10-09|magazine=Billboard|access-date=2018-10-07}}</ref>
* In 2019, the first ever 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 entirely written in Polari by [[Libretto|librettist]] and [[playwright]] Fabrizio Funari (b. 1991) while the music was composed by Germán Alonso (b. 1984) with cantaor Niño de Elche (b. 1985) in the main role. The opera was produced and performed by instrumental ensemble Proyecto OCNOS, formed by Pedro Rojas-Ogáyar and Gustavo A. Domínguez Ojalvo, with the support of ICAS Sevilla, Fundación BBVA and The Librettist.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.diariodesevilla.es/ocio/The-Sins-the-City-Plain_0_1357964420.html|title=Pornografía bruitista|last=Sevilla|first=Diario de|date=2019-05-26|website=Diario de Sevilla|language=es-ES|access-date=2019-06-26}}</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>{{cite video game |title= Dragon Quest Builders 2 |developer= Square Enix |publisher= Square Enix |date= 20 December 2018 |platform= Nintendo Switch |language= en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-02-07-the-coded-gay-jargon-in-dragon-quest-builders-2|title=The Coded Gay Jargon in Dragon Quest Builders 2|last=Hawkes|first=Edward}}</ref>
* Also in 2019, [[Reaktion Books]] published ''Fabulosa!: The Story of Polari, Britain's Secret Gay Language,'' by Paul Baker.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Baker|first=Paul|title=Fabulosa!: The Story of Polari, Britain's Secret Gay Language|publisher=Reaktion Books|year=2019|isbn=9781789142945|location=London}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Fabulosa! by Paul Baker from Reaktion Books|url=http://www.reaktionbooks.co.uk/display.asp?ISB=9781789141320|access-date=2020-08-05|website=www.reaktionbooks.co.uk}}</ref>
* In the 2020 film ''[[Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse]]'', a young [[Roald Dahl]], running away from home, meets a man (played by [[Bill Bailey]]) who speaks in Polari.

==Glossary==
Numbers:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Number
! Definition
! Italian numbers
|-
|''medza''||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):'''<!--e.g., "camp" (adj. & noun) is described as "etymology obscure", not Polari, in the OED-->
{| class=wikitable
|-
! Word
! Definition
|-
|{{lang|pld|acdc}}, {{lang|pld|bibi}}||bisexual{{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|49}}
|-
|{{lang|pld|ajax}}||nearby (shortened form of "adjacent to"){{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|49}}
|-
|{{lang|pld|alamo!}}||they're attractive! (via [[acronym]] "LMO" meaning "Lick Me Out!){{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|52,59}}
|-
| {{lang|pld|arva}}||to have sex (from Italian ''chiavare'', to screw)<ref name="What is Polari All About">{{cite web|url=http://www.polarimagazine.com/bulletin-board/polari/|title=What is Polari All About?|website=Polari Magazine|date=13 August 2012 |access-date=30 July 2018}}</ref>
|-
|{{lang|pld|aunt nell}}||listen!{{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|52}}
|-
|{{lang|pld|aunt nells}}||ears{{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|45}}
|-
|{{lang|pld|aunt nelly fakes}}||earrings{{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|59,60}}
|-
|{{lang|pld|barney}}||a fight{{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|164}}
|-
|{{lang|pld|bat}}, {{lang|pld|batts}}, {{lang|pld|bates}}||shoes{{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|164}}
|-
|''bevvy''|| drink (diminutive of "beverage")<ref name="liverpoolmuseums.org.uk"/>
|-
|{{lang|pld|[[Bitch (insult)#In reference to men|bitch]]}} || effeminate or passive gay man
|-
|{{lang|pld|bijou}}||small/little (from French, jewel){{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|57}}
|-
| {{lang|pld|bitaine}}||whore (French ''{{Lang|fr|putain}}'')
|-
|{{lang|pld|blag}}||pick up{{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|46}}
|-
| {{lang|pld|bold}}|| homosexual<ref name="What is Polari All About"/>
|-
|{{lang|pld|bona}}||good{{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|26,32,85}}
|-
|{{lang|pld|bona nochy}}||goodnight (from Italian – ''{{lang|it|buona notte}}''){{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|52}}
|-
|{{lang|pld|[[Butch and femme|butch]]}}||masculine; masculine lesbian{{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|167}}
|-
|{{lang|pld|buvare}}||a drink; something drinkable (from Italian – ''{{lang|it|bere}}'' or old-fashioned Italian – ''{{lang|it|bevere}}'' or Lingua Franca ''bevire''){{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|167}}
|-
|{{lang|pld|cackle}}||talk/gossip{{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|168}}
|-
|{{lang|pld|[[Camp (style)|camp]]}}||effeminate (possibly from Italian ''{{lang|it|campare}}'' "exaggerate, make stand out") (possibly from the phrase 'camp follower' those itinerants who followed behind the men in uniform/highly decorative dress)
|-
|{{lang|pld|capello}}, {{lang|pld|capella}}, {{lang|pld|capelli}}, {{lang|pld|kapella}}||hat (from Italian – ''{{lang|it|cappello}}''){{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|168}}
|-
|{{lang|pld|carsey}}, {{lang|pld|karsey}}, {{lang|pld|khazi}}||toilet{{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|168}}
|-
|{{lang|pld|cartes}}||penis (from Italian – ''{{lang|it|cazzo}}''){{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|97}}
|-
|{{lang|pld|cats}}||trousers{{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|168}}
|-
|''charper''||to search or to look (from Italian ''acchiappare'', to catch){{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|168}}
|-
|''charpering omi''||policeman
|-
|''charver''||sexual intercourse{{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|46}}
|-
|''[[chicken (gay slang)|chicken]]''||young man
|-
|''clevie''||vagina<ref name=auto>Grose, Francis (2012). ''1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue.'' tebbo. {{ISBN|978-1-4861-4841-7}}</ref>
|-
|''clobber''||clothes{{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|138,139,169}}
|-
|''cod''||bad{{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|169}}
|-
|''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)[https://c8.alamy.com/comp/BJ4MCR/half-timbered-mock-tudor-public-toilet-block-in-aldeburgh-suffolk-BJ4MCR.jpg]
|-
|''[[cottaging]]''||seeking or obtaining sexual encounters in public lavatories
|-
|''cove''||taxi{{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|61}}
|-
|''dhobi'' / ''dhobie'' / ''dohbie''||wash (from Hindi, ''dohb''){{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|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)<ref>C. H. V. Sutherland, ''English Coinage 600-1900'' (1973, {{ISBN|0-7134-0731-X}}), p. 10</ref>
|-
|''dish''||buttocks{{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|45}}
|-
|''dolly''||pretty, nice, pleasant, (from Irish ''dóighiúil''/Scottish Gaelic ''dòigheil'', handsome, pronounced 'doil')
|-
|''dona''||woman (perhaps from Italian ''donna'' or Lingua Franca ''dona''){{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|26}}
|-
|''ecaf''||face (backslang){{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|58,210}}
|-
|''eek/eke''<ref name=":0" />||face (abbreviation of ecaf){{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|58,210}}
|-
| ''ends''||hair<ref name="liverpoolmuseums.org.uk"/>
|-
|''esong'', ''sedon''||nose (backslang){{sfn|Baker|2003}}{{rp|31}}
|-
|''fambles''||hands<ref name=auto/>
|-
|''fantabulosa''||fabulous/wonderful
|-
|''farting crackers''||trousers<ref name=auto/>
|-
|''feele'' / ''feely'' / ''filly''||child/young (from the Italian ''figlio,'' for son)
|-
|''feele omi'' / ''feely omi''|| young man
|-
|''flowery''||lodgings, accommodations<ref name=auto/>
|-
|''fogus''||tobacco
|-
|''fortuni''||gorgeous, beautiful<ref name=auto/>
|-
|''[[Fruit (slang)#As gay slang|fruit]]''||gay man
|-
|''funt''||pound £ (Yiddish)
|-
|''fungus''||old man/beard<ref name=auto/>
|-
|''gelt''||money (Yiddish)
|-
|''handbag''||money
|-
|''hoofer''||dancer
|-
|''HP'' (''homy palone'')||effeminate gay man
|-
|''irish''||wig (from rhyming slang, "Irish jig")
|-
|''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, sometimes also knees (as in "get down on yer lallies")
|-
|''lallie tappers''||feet
|-
|''latty'' / ''lattie''||room, house or flat
|-
|''lau'' ||lay or place upon<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.polarimagazine.com/editorial/lau-your-luppers-on-the-strillers-bona/|title=A Polari Christmas|website=Polari Magazine|date=12 Dec 2009|access-date=30 July 2018}}</ref>
|-
|''lavs''||words<ref name="The Polari Bible">{{cite web|url=http://www.josephrichardson.tv/polari-bible.html/|title=The Polari Bible|website=.josephrichardson.tv|access-date=30 July 2018}}</ref> (Gaelic: ''labhairt'' to speak)
|-
|''lills''||hands
|-
|''lilly''||police (Lilly Law)
|-
|''lyles''||legs (prob. from "Lisle stockings")
|-
|''lucoddy''||body
|-
|''luppers''||fingers (Yiddish&nbsp;— lapa&nbsp;— paw)
|-
|''mangarie''||food, also ''jarry'' (from Italian ''mangiare'' or Lingua Franca ''mangiaria'')
|-
|''manky''||worthless, dirty (from Italian ''mancare'' – "to be lacking")<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/manky|title=Manky|website=Collins English Dictionary|access-date=21 December 2018}}</ref>
|-
|''martinis''||hands
|-
|''measures''||money
|-
|''medzer''||half (from Italian ''mezzo'')
|-
|''medzered''||divided<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.polarimagazine.com/opinion/let-there-be-sparkle/|title=Let There Be Sparkle|website=Polari Magazine|date=10 Dec 2012|access-date=30 July 2018}}</ref>
|-
|''meese''||plain, ugly (from [[Yiddish]] ''mieskeit'', in turn from Hebrew מָאוּס repulsive, loathsome, despicable, abominable)
|-
|''meshigener''||nutty, crazy, mental (from [[Yiddish]] '[[wikt:meshugge|meshugge]]', in turn from Hebrew מְשֻׁגָּע crazy)
|-
|''meshigener carsey''||church<ref name="The Polari Bible"/>
|-
|''metzas''||money (Italian -mezzi "means, wherewithal")
|-
|''mince''||walk affectedly
|-
|''mollying''||involved in the act of sex<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2000/dec/10/life1.lifemagazine3|title=The way we live now: Mind your language|first=Beverley|last=D'Silva|date=10 December 2000|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=5 July 2018}}</ref>
|-
|''mogue''||deceive
|-
|''munge''||darkness
|-
|''[[Polari#Naff|naff]]''||awful, dull, hetero
|-
|''nana''||evil
|-
|''nanti''||not, no, none (Italian&nbsp;— niente)
|-
|''national handbag''||dole, welfare, government financial assistance
|-
|''nishta''||nothing<ref name="liverpoolmuseums.org.uk"/>
|-
|''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 (Italian ''paglione'' – "straw mattress"; cf. old Cant ''hay-bag'' – "woman"); also spelled "polony" in [[Graham Greene]]'s 1938 novel ''[[Brighton Rock (novel)|Brighton Rock]]''
|-
|''palone-omi''||lesbian
|-
|''pots''||teeth
|-
|''quongs''||testicles
|-
|''reef'' ||touch
|-
|''remould''||sex change
|-
|''rozzer''||policeman<ref name=guardian/>
|-
|''riah'' / ''riha''||hair (backslang)
|-
|''riah zhoosher''||hairdresser
|-
|''[[Trade (gay slang)#Rough trade|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)
|-
|''scharda''||shame (from German ''schade'', "a shame" or "a pity")
|-
|''schlumph''||drink
|-
|''schmutter''||apparel<ref name="Polari Bible">{{cite web|url=http://www.josephrichardson.tv/polari-bible.html|title=Polari Bible|website=josephrichardson.tv/home.html|access-date=1 August 2018}}</ref>
|-
|''schooner''||bottle
|-
|''scotch''||leg (scotch egg=leg)
|-
|''screech''||mouth, speak
|-
|''screeve''||write<ref name="Polari Bible"/> (from Irish ''scríobh''/Scottish Gaelic ''sgrìobh'', Scots ''scrieve'' to write)
|-
|''sharpy''||policeman (from&nbsp;— charpering omi)
|-
|''sharpy polone''||policewoman
|-
|''shush''||steal (from client)
|-
|''shush bag''||hold-all
|-
|''shyker'' / ''shyckle''||wig (mutation of the Yiddish ''[[sheitel]]'')
|-
|''slap''||makeup
|-
|''so''||homosexual (e.g. "Is he 'so'?") <!-- from nineteenth century slang? -->
|-
|''stimps''||legs
|-
|''stimpcovers''||stockings, hosiery
|-
|''strides''||trousers
|-
|''strillers''||piano
|-
|''switch''||wig
|-
| ''TBH'' (''to be had'')||prospective sexual conquest
|-
|''thews''||thighs
|-
|''tober''||road (a [[Shelta]] word, Irish ''bóthar''); temporary site for a circus, carnival
|-
|''[[Tod Sloan (jockey)#Rhyming slang|todd (Sloan)]]'' or ''tod''||alone
|-
|''tootsie trade''||sex between two passive homosexuals (as in: 'I don't do tootsie trade')
|-
|''[[Trade (Homosexual)|trade]]''||sex, sex-partner, potential sex-partner
|-
|''[[Troll (gay)|troll]]''||to walk about (esp. looking for trade)
|-
|''vada'' / ''varder''||to see (from Italian&nbsp;— dialect ''vardare'' = ''guardare'' – look at)
vardered&nbsp;— vardering
|-
|''vera'' (''lynn'')||gin
|-
|''vogue''||cigarette (from Lingua Franca ''fogus'' – "fire, smoke")
|-
|''vogueress''||female smoker
|-
|''wallop''||dance<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/polari.htm|title=World Wide Words: How bona to vada your eek!|website=World Wide Words|access-date=5 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190907173251/http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/polari.htm|archive-date=7 September 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|''willets''||breasts
|-
| ''yeute''||no, none
|-
|''yews''||(from French "yeux") eyes
|-
|''zhoosh''||style hair, tart up, mince<br>(cf. Romani ''zhouzho'' – "clean, neat")
zhoosh our riah&nbsp;— style our hair
|-
|''zhooshy''||showy
|}

===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 (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>{{cite episode|title=The Old Order Changes|series=Are You Being Served?|date=18 March 1977}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|LGBT|United Kingdom|Language}}
* [[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]]
* [[Pajubá]]
* [[Julian and Sandy]]
* [[Rotwelsch]]
* [[Shelta]]
* [[Swardspeak]]
* [[Verlan]]
* [[Lubunca]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
* Baker, Paul (2002) ''Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang''. London: Continuum: {{ISBN|0-8264-5961-7}}
* {{cite book|author=Baker, Paul|title=Polari – The Lost Language of Gay Men|year=2003|publisher=Routledge|location=London|isbn=978-1-134-50635-4}}
* Elmes, Simon & Rosen, Michael (2002) ''Word of Mouth''. Oxford University Press: {{ISBN|0-19-866263-7}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary category|category=English Polari slang}}
* [http://www.chris-d.net/polari/ Chris Denning's article on Polari with bibliography]
* [http://www.polaribible.org/ The Polari Bible compiled by The Manchester Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131202222545/http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/rylands/exhibitions/polarimission/ Polari Mission exhibit] (archived) at the [[University of Manchester]]'s [[John Rylands Library]]
* [https://www.theguardian.com/comment/story/0,3604,1391811,00.html Colin Richardson, ''The Guardian'', 17 January 2005, "What brings you trolling back, then?"]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121012161159/http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime/exhibitions/gaylife/polari.asp Liverpool Museums: The secret language of polari] (archived)
* [http://www.bigcar.co.uk/polari/ Paul Clevett's Polari Translator]
* ''Putting it on the Dish'', a 2015 short film featuring Polari extensively 
* [https://theconversation.com/a-brief-history-of-polari-the-curious-after-life-of-the-dead-language-for-gay-men-72599 A brief history of Polari: the curious after-life of the dead language for gay men], February 8, 2017.

{{LGBT topics in the United Kingdom}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2020}}

[[Category:English language in England]]
[[Category:English-based argots]]
[[Category:English language in London]]
[[Category:British slang]]
[[Category:LGBT linguistics]]
[[Category:LGBT culture in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Gay working-class culture]]