A Dictionary of Polari & Gay Slang [Hardcover]

Paul Baker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2003

Polari has been the secret language of gay men and women through the twentieth century. But more than a language, Polari is an attitude. From the prisons and music halls of Edwardian England to American GIs, to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Polari has been used to laugh, bitch, gossip and cruise. Like all slang, Polari users coined an ever-changing vocabulary. Derived from words used by criminals, circus artists, beggars and prostitutes, it also employed Italian, Yiddish, French, rhyming slang and backslang. Since gay liberation, lesbian and gay slang has become less a language of concealment than a language of specialisation, though the tradition of camp remains. "Fantabulosa" presents a lexicon of Polari and a more general dictionary of lesbian and gay slang. If you don't yet know what vada the bona cartes on the ommee ajax, parkering ninty, a Mexican nightmare or a nellyectomy mean, then this is the book for you.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Simply Fantabulosa!...[a] must have volume..." -- Scotsgay Magazine, March 2003

About the Author

Paul Baker is Senior Lecturer in Linguistics and Modern English language at Lancaster University, UK. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Continuum International Publishing Group (January 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826459617
• ISBN-13: 978-0826459619
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #603,302 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Polari and Gay Slang, August 12, 2008

By 

T. James Black "James Black" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Dictionary of Polari & Gay Slang (Hardcover)

The book starts with a sizable entry on Polari and words within it, then the rest is just your basic dictionary of slang words in the LGBT and attached communities (bear, BDSM, L/L, etc). If you're already acclimated to gay culture, it might suit you fine to look at some websites on Polari (if that's what you're looking for) and non-local gay slang. If you're not in the community and writing an LGBT character or something similar, I think this would be a good primer on what kind of culture and language you're looking at.