Main | Thursday, July 02, 2015

How Gay Men Used To Speak

I've long been fascinated with Polari, which I first learned about when I asked British friends about the title of Morrissey's 1990 album, Bona Drag, which means "nice outfit." From the clip recap:
Polari was a form of slang used by gay men in Britain prior to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967, used primarily as a coded way for them to discuss their experiences. It quickly fell out of use in the 70s, although several words entered mainstream English and are still used today.
The text of the clip is here.

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