Polari Dictionary

How bona to vada your dolly old eke!

Below is a dictionary of Polari, the coded language used predominantly by gay men – particularly those "fiercely camp working-class queens" with "names like Fishy Francis and Diamond Lil, who put powder on their cheeks and wore colourful, feminine scarves" (Baker (2002), p. 1) – in the United Kingdom in the early to mid twentieth-century. It's adapted largely from the glossary in Paul Baker's Fabulosa! The Story of Polari, Britain's Secret Gay Language (2019) and his Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang (2002), both of which outline the history of Polari.

In brief, Polari had a number of ancestor, influences and sources – seventeenth-century Thieves Cant; Parlyaree (used by fairground and circus people, sex workers, mendicants and buskers); Cockney rhyming slang; Yiddish; merchant sailors' Lingua Franca; German, French and Italian; American English; drug culture slang – not to mention the Polari speaker's own creativity and inventiveness; and it was used "[b]ecause being openly homosexual was dangerous": "the need for a language that protected gay men, and at the same time acted as a kind of 'gaydar' by allowing them to recognize others, was extremely useful" (Baker (2002), p. 3).

Introducing his glossary, Baker writes:

It is unlikely that twentieth-century Polari speakers would have used or even known all of the terms listed [here]. ... [Additionally,] a Polari word will possess multiple spellings, meanings, origins and in some cases pronunciations, owing to the secretive, unstandardized, constantly changing nature of the lexicon.

Rachel P. Kreiter (A Bona Nosh (2022)) describes Polari's grammar well enough, writing, The banal elements of English, the prepositions and pronouns, are retained, and the sentence structure is the same ... .

Bona lavs

Polari, as a form of camp humour, protection and attack, is worth remembering – a gay 'language' which serves as a testament to those who lived through times very different to our own. [Baker (2002), p. 8]

The main intentions for this dictionary are to help preserve a less-well-known element of LGBTQ+ history and help members of the LGBTQ+ community connect to that history – and maybe help them camp up their language, if they fancy.

Gardy loo! Billingsgate!

However, our history isn't perfect and this is reflected in the historical record of Polari. A number of the words and phrases are misogynistic, racist and perhaps classist. They are preserved below as a reminder of how, within the LGBTQ+ community, there were – and still are – inequalities and hierarchies of oppression, which we need to continue dismantling.

Vada also

If you find this dictionary interesting, you might enjoy the Polari Bible.

Polari English
A
 
AC/DC 1. a couple. 2. bisexual
acqua variant of aqua
acting dickey temporary work
active butch or bull in trade
affair someone with whom you have had a relationship
affaire variant of affair
ajax nearby, next to
alamo I'm hot for you!
almond rocks socks
and no flies! honestly!
antique HP an old gay man
aqua water
aris arse
arva (proceeded by 'the') sex
aspra variant of aspro
aspro a sex worker
aunt nell 1. to listen. 2. an ear. 3. be quiet!
aunt nelly fakes earrings
auntie an older gay man
B
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badge cove an old person
bagadga variant of bagaga
bagaga a penis
balonie variant of balony
balony rubbish
barkey a sailor
barkie variant of barkey
barky variant of barkey
barnet hair
barney a fight
bat 1. a shoe. 2. to shuffle or dance on stage
bates variant of bat
batter sex work (to go on the batter was to walk the streets as a sex worker)
battery to knock down
batts variant of bat
battyfang to hit and bite
beak a judge
bean young
beancove a young person
bedroom a place where men can have sex, such as a toilet cubicle in a public lavatory
beef curtains labia
ben good
benar better
bencove a friend
bene variant of ben
beone variant of bianc
Beryl with a brooch the police
Betty Bracelets the police
beverada variant of bevvy
bevie variant of bevvy
bevois variant of bevvy
bevvied intoxicated on alcohol
bevvy 1. a drink (especially beer). 2. a public house
bevvy omee a drunk man
beyonek variant of bianc
beyong variant of bianc
bianc a shilling
bibi bisexual
bijou small
billingsgate bad language
bimbo a dupe
bins spectacles
bitaine a sex worker
bitch 1. a gay man, especially one who is the passive partner in sex. 2. a woman. 3. to complain
black market queen (BMQ) a gay man who hides their sexuality
blag to make a sexual pick-up
blazé queen an classy gay man
blob queen "a queen of no account who tends to follow a drag queen around, hoping that some of the glitter will fall off onto her"
blocked to be high on drugs
blow to give oral sex
BMQ see black market queen
bod body
bodega a shop
bodega homie male shopkeeper
bold 1. audaciously gay. 2. unpleasant
bolus a chemist
bona good
bona house male brothel or pub/club used by rent boys
bona lavs best wishes!
bona nochy good night!
bona rack a gay establishment with a good reputation
bona varderning attractive
bones (proceeded by 'the') one's boyfriend
boobs breasts
booth a room, especially a bedroom
bowl brandy faeces
box a bum
boyno hello
brainless good
brandy a bum
brandy latch a toilet cubicle
bugle a nose
bulge a man's crotch
bull a masculine woman
butch masculine
C
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cabouche a car
cackle talk
cackle fart an egg
camisa a shirt
camp funny, exaggerated, flamboyant and heavily stylized
camp name an opposite-sex name given to a Polari speaker
capella a hat
capelli variant of capella
capolla variant of capella
cark it to die
carnish food, often meat
carnish ken an eating house
carsey 1. a house. 2. a toilet. 3. a brothel
cartes genitals, especially penis
cartoon a crown (old money)
cartsnosher/s mouth/teeth
cartzo variant of cartes
catever variant of kerterver
cats trousers
Cavalier uncircumcised penis
chant to sing
charper to seek
charpering carsey a police station
charpering omee a police man
charver to fuck
charvering donna a female sex worker
chaud a penis
chaud's mudge a foreskin
chavvy a child
chavy variant of chavvy
chemmie a shirt or blouse
chenter one hundred
cherry virginity
chicken 1. an attractive man (usually aged under 25). 2. a young boy
chinker five
chinois variant of schinwhars
chivvy to persecute
christening an opposite-sex name given to a Polari speaker
cleaning the cage out cunnilingus
cleaning the kitchen anilingus
clevie a vagina
clobber clothing
cod bad
cod rack a gay establishment with a poor reputation
coddy bad, amateurish
cods testicles
cody variant of coddy
cold calling to walk into a pub looking for company
colin 1. an erect penis. 2. a horn
Coliseum curtains foreskin
colour of his eyes (proceeded by 'the') penis size
commision variant of camisa
corybungus a bum
cosy costume
cottage a public lavatory or urinal
cottaging spending time in public lavatories in order to have gay sex
crimper a hairdresser
cruise to look for sex
cull 1. a mate. 2. a fool
culls testicles
D
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dacha ten
daffy drunk
daiture variant of dacha
dally sweet, kind
dander anger
dash to leave quickly
deaner a shilling
dear, dearie friendly and/or patronizing personal term of address
deener variant of deaner
deger variant of dacha
delph teeth
dener variant of deaner
dhobie 1. to wash. 2. washing
diddle gin
diddle cove keeper of a gin or spirit shop (can be extended to refer to a person serving behind a bar or working in an off licence)
diener variant of deaner
dike variant of dyke
Dilly (proceeded by 'the') Piccadilly Circus
Dilly boy a male sex worker who worked around Piccadilly Circus
dinaly variant of dinarly
dinarla variant of dinarly
dinarly money
dinge black
dinge queen someone (usually a gay man) who seeks black partners
dish 1. a bum or anus. (To have it up the dish is to get fucked, while to grease the dish is to apply lubricant for sex.) 2. an attractive man
dish the dirt 1. to talk things over. 2. to gossip
dizzy silly, absent-minded, forgetful or easily distracted
do a turn to have sex
do the rights to seek revenge
dog and bone a telephone
dohbie variant of dhobie
dolly smart or attractive. (Can also be used as a term of address)
dona a woman
donah variant of dona
doner variant of dona
donner variant of dona
don't be strange don't hold back!
doobies variant of dubes
doobs variant of dubes
dooey two
downers depressant drugs
dowry a lot. (Can be used to 'upgrade' any noun)
dowry efink a sword
dowry lattie a palace
dowry omee a king
drag 1. clothing typical of one sex or gender worn by someone who identifies as a different sex or gender. However, drag can often be much more than clothing, and reflects a mental, emotional or sexual state of being. 2. any clothing not usually worn by the speaker in their everyday life. 2. dressed as girl (most likely a backronym)
drag up to wear clothes associated with a different sex or gender
drage variant of drag
dress up a bad (as in, unconvincing) drag queen
drogle a dress
dry right
dry martini right hand
dubes 1. pills. 2. marijuana cigarettes
duchess a rich or grand gay man
duckie variant of ducky
ducky terms of address, used in a similar way to dear
dyke a lesbian
E
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ear fakes earrings
ecaf face
eek variant of eke
efink knife
Eine London
eke face
esong a nose
-ette a suffix added to English or Polari words to indicate smallness. Examples: bijou treashette, a tiny drinkette, a mini glassette (Baker (2019), ch. 3)
F
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fab variant of fabe
fabe good, great
fabel variant of fabe
fabularity 1. wonderfully funny. 2. majesty
fabulosa wonderful
fag a gay man (usually derogatory)
fag hag a female friend of a gay man
fairy a feminine gay man
fake 1. an erection. 2. to make. 3. used as a premodifier to imply that something is false or artificially constructed in some way
fake riah a wig
fakement 1. a thing. 2. personal adornments
fantabulosa wonderful
farting crackers trousers
fashioned riah a wig
fatcha 1. to shave. 2. to apply makeup
feele variant of feely
feelier variant of feely
feely a young person or a child (possibly from Italian figlia (daughter), figlio (son))
fellia variant of feely
femme 1. female. 2. a feminine lesbian
ferricadooza a knock-down blow
filiome 1. a young man. 2. an underaged sexual partner
filly pretty
fish a woman (derogatory)
flange 1. a vagina. 2. to walk along
flatties 1. men (especially those who make up an audience). 2. dupes
flowery 1. lodgings, accommodation. 2. prison cell
fogle a handkerchief or neckerchief (usually silk)
fogle-hunter a pickpocket
foofs breasts
fortuni gorgeous
frock female attire
frock billong lallies trousers
fruit a gay man (usually derogatory)
full drag completely decked out in women's attire
full eke wearing makeup
full harva (proceeded by 'the') anal sex
fungus an old man
funt a pound (money)
G
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gajo outsider
gam 1. oral sex. 2. a leg
gamming oral sex
gamp umbrella
gardy loo beware!
gay homosexual
gelt money (coinage)
gent variant of gelt
gildy fancy
gillies women (especially those in an audience)
girl general term of address
Gloria God
glory hole a hole in the wall between two stalls in a public toilet, big enough to allow an erect penis to be stuck through, made to facilitate anonymous sex with another person
glossies magazines
goolie black
goolie ogle fakes sunglasses
got your number 1. to know what someone is up to. 2. to identify someone as gay
groin a ring
groinage jewellery
groyne variant of groin
gutless either very good or very bad
H
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hambag money
hampsteads teeth
handbag variant of hambag
harris arse
harva (proceeded by 'the') variant of arva
head toilet
hearing cheat an ear
heartface term of address
hettie heterosexual
Hilda Handcuffs the police
homee variant of omee
homee-palone variant of omee-palone
homey variant of omee
homi variant of omee
HP a gay man (homee-palone)
HP Arly a version of Polari where arly is inserted after the first letter of a Polari work
husband a male lover, usually more than just a one-night stand, but can ironically refer to a short-term sexual partner
I
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importuning cruising for sex
in the life gay
Irish a wig
it a short-term sexual partner
J
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jarry 1. to eat. 2. to fellate
Jennifer Justice the police
Jew's eye something valuable
jhoosh variant of zhoosh
Jim and Jack a back
jogar variant of jogger
jogger 1. to play. 2. to sing. 3. to entertain
jogging omee a (male) entertainer
joobs variant of jubes
joshed up looking your best
journo day
jubes 1. breasts. 2. pectorals
K
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kaffies trousers
kapella variant of capella
kapello a cloak
karsey variant of carsey
ken 1. a house. 2. to know
kenza twelve
kerterver bad
kerterver cartzo a venereal disease
kik to look for sex
kik pipe a television
kosher homie a Jewish man
L
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lady a gay man
lag a slave
lall 1. variant of lallie. 2. to receive
lallie(s) leg(s)
lally variant of lallie
lally-covers trousers
lally-drags trousers
lally-peg variant of lallie
lamor a kiss
lappers hands
large used as a superlative
larlou amen
lattie a house or flat
lattie on water a ship
lattie on wheels a carriage, car or taxi
lau to place, put or send
lav a word
lell to take
lepta eleven
lett to dwell, live or sit
letties lodgings
letty 1. a bed. 2. to sleep
lills hands
lilly the police
Lily (Law) the police
lily pad police station
lingo a foreign language
lippy lipstick
long dedger eleven
lop to run
lopen running
lucoddy body
lunch a man's crotch
luppers fingers
lyle variant of lallie
M
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mais oui of course
mangare variant of mungaree
manjaree variant of mungaree
manjarie variant of mungaree
manky bad, poor, tasteless or dirty
manly Alice a masculine gay man
maquiage 1. makeup. 2. to put makeup on one's face
Maria sperm
mart covers gloves
martini a ring
marts, martinis hands
Mary 1. a generic term for a gay man. 2. a Catholic gay man. 3. an exclamation
matlock member a dentist
matlocks teeth
mauve gay
May-Ann variant of Mary
mazarine a platform below a stage
measures money
meat and two veg a man's penis and testicles
meat rack 1. a male brothel. 2. any place where large numbers of men are sexually available. 3. specifically, the iron railings outside Piccadilly Circus (sometimes capitalised as Meat Rack)
medza half
medzer caroon half a crown (money)
medzers variant of measures
mental 1. the best! 2. the worst!
meshigener crazy
metties wealth
metzers variant of measures
metzes variant of measures
metzies variant of metties
mezsh variant of measures
mince to walk with short steps in an affected or feminine manner
minces eyes
minge a vagina (derogatory)
minnie 1. a homosexual man. 2. to walk
mish variant of camisa
moey 1. a mouth. 2. a face
mogue to tell a lie
molly a gay man
monjaree variant of mungaree
mooe variant of moey
mother an older gay man
muck (stage) makeup
multee variant of multy
multi variant of multy
multy very, much, many, a lot
mungaree 1. food. 2. to eat
munge darkness
munja variant of mungaree
munjarry variant of mungaree
N
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nada none
nada to vada in the larder to have a small penis
naff 1. tasteless, bad. 2. heterosexual
namyarie 1. to eat. 2. food
nanna awful
nantee variant of nanti
nanti a general negator that can mean no, none, don't or nothing
nanti dinarly no money
nanti polari don't speak
nanti pots in the cupboard no teeth
nanti that leave it alone, forget about it
nantoisale variant of nantoise
nantoise 1. no, none. 2. inadequate
nanty panarly variant of nanti polari
nany variant of nanti
nanyarie variant of namyarie
naph variant of naff
nawks breasts
nelly a feminine gay man
nellyards to listen
nish variant of nishta
nishta nothing, no
nishtoisale variant of nishta
nishtoise variant of nishta
nix nothing, no
nix my dolly never mind
nix numgarlee nothing to eat
nobber 1. nine. 2. someone who collects money for a street performer
nochy night
nosh to perform oral sex
NTBH not available, or ugly (not to be had)
number a person, usually attractive
numgare variant of mungaree
nuntee variant of nanti
nunty variant of nanti
O
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ocals variant of opals
ogale fakes spectacles
ogle 1. to look longingly. 2. an eye
oglecovers spectacles
ogle filters sunglasses
ogle riah fakes false eyelashes
ogle riahs eyelashes
ogle riders eyebrows or eyelashes
ogle shades variant of ogle filters
-ois a suffix added to English or Polari words to make them appear French. Examples: nanteois (none) and bevois (drink) (Baker (2019), ch. 3)
omee a man
omee-palone a gay man
omer variant of omee
omi variant of omee
omme variant of omee
omy variant of omee
on the team gay
on your tod alone
oney variant of una
onk a nose
opals eyes
orbs eyes
order 1. to leave or go. 2. to orgasm (i.e., to come)
orderly variant of order
orderly daughters the police
other name an opposite-sex name given to a Polari speaker
otter eight
outrageous extrovert, loud, camp
oyster a mouth
P
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packet a man's crotch
palare variant of polari
palaver 1. to talk. 2. an argument
palliass a back
palogne variant of palone
palone a woman or girl
palone-omee a lesbian
paloney variant of palone
pannam bread
pannum variant of pannam
parker 1. to pay. 2. to give
parker the measures to pay the money
parkering ninty wages
parlaree variant of polari
parnee variant of parnie
parney variant of parnie
parnie 1. rainwater. 2. tears
passive a gay man who takes the insertee role in anal intercourse and may also be quiet and feminine
pastry cutter a man whose oral sex technique involves digging into the skin of the penis with his teeth
pearls teeth
phantom (gobbler) a gay man in the Merchant Navy who hides his sexuality but would go round the cabins at night, lifting the sheets of the other sailors to administer oral sex while they slept (or pretended to sleep)
pig an elephant
pig's lattie a sty on the eye
plate to perform oral sex
plate the dish anilingus
plates feet
pogey variant of pogy
pogy a little
polare variant of polari
polari 1. the gay language. 2. to talk
polari lobes ears
polari pipe a telephone
poll a wig
pollone variant of palone
polone variant of palone
polonee variant of palone
polony variant of palone
ponce variant of pont
pont a pimp
ponte a pound (money)
poona variant of ponte
pouf a gay man
pretty face an attractive man
punk a gay man
purple hearts the drug Drynamil
put on the brandy variant of put on the dish
put on the dish to lubricate the anus in preparation for anal sex
Q
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quarter four
quartereen a farthing
quean variant of queen
quean's dolly a female friend of a gay man
queen a gay man
queeny majestically feminine
queer ken a prison
quongs testicles
R
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randy comedown a desire to have sex after the effect of taking drugs starts to wear off
rattling cove a taxi
real girl a cis or trans woman as opposed to a drag queen
reef to feel, especially to feel the genitals of a person
remould gender-affirming surgery
rent a male sex wokrer
rent boy variant of rent
renter variant of rent
riah hair
riah shusher a hairdresser
riahy hairy
rim anilingus
rosie rubbish bin
rough a masculine, working-class, often aggressive man
rough trade a masculine, working-class sexual partner who may not identify as gay and might become violent or demand money after sex
Roundhead circumcised penis
royal, royalty majestically gay or queenly
S
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saltee variant of salter
salter a penny
salty variant of salter
saulty variant of salter
savvy 1. to know or understand. 2. knowledge, practical sense, intelligence
say six
say dooey eight
say oney seven
say tray nine
scapalo variant of scarper
scaper variant of scarper
scarper to go, run or escape
scarpy variant of scarper
scat faeces
scharda what a pity!
schinwhars a Chinese person
schmutter clothing
schonk to hit
schooner a bottle
schumph to drink
schvartza a black man
scotches legs
screaming loud and camp
screech 1. mouth. 2. face
screeve 1. to write. 2. written material
sea food a (homo) sexually available sailor
sea queen 1. a gay sailor, particularly a steward or waiter in the Merchant Navy. 2. a gay man who seeks sex with sailors
seaweed a (homo) sexually available sailor
send up to make fun of
setter seven
shamshes 1. attractive men. 2. teeth (uncertain)
sharpering-omee variant of sharping-omee
sharping-omee a policeman
she third person pronoun applicable to anyone
sheesh showy, fussy, elaborately ornamented or affected
sheitel variant of shyckle
shush to steal
shush bag a bag used to carry stolen goods
shyckle a wig
shyker variant of shyckle
sister a friend who may have also been a sexual partner in the past
size queen someone who likes men large penises
slang to perform on stage
slap makeup
sling-backs high heels
smellies perfume
snuff to die
so gay
soldi a penny
solicit to cruise for sex while wearing drag
sparkle a light
stampers shoes
starters lubricant used to facilitate anal sex
steamer 1. a sex worker's client. 2. a gay man who seeks passive partners
stimp covers nylon stockings
stimps legs
stompers variant of stampers
stretcher-case exhausted
strides trousers
strill(s) variant of striller(s)
striller(s) 1. a musical instrument. 2. piano keys. 3. a musician
strillers omee a pianist or musician
sweet 1. good. 2. left
sweet martini left hand
swishing flamboyantly grand or camp
T
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tat rubbish
TBH 1. sexually available (to be had). 2. gay
that's your actual French phrase used to draw attention to the fact that a speaker has used a word or two of French, as a way of appearing sophisticated
threws muscles, likely tights but possibly forearms
thumping cheat a heart
timepiece a watch
tip to give oral sex
tip the brandy anilingus
tip the ivy anilingus
tip the velvet to give oral sex
tober omee 1. a rent collector. 2. a landlord
tober showmen travelling musicians
todge omee-palone the passive partner in gay sex
too much excessive, over the top (can be either good or bad, depending on the context)
tootsie trade sex between two feminine men
tosheroon half a crown (money)
tounge the brandy variant of tip the brandy
town hall drapes an uncircumcised penis
trade a casual sexual partner
trade curtain a curtain hung between bunks on a Merchant Navy ship to provide some privacy during sex
tray three
treash term of endearment
tres sheeshwahz very chic
troll to walk around, perhaps with sexual intent
trollies trousers
trummus a bum
trundling cheat a car
turn my oyster up to make me smile
tush a bum
two and eight a state
U
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una one
uppers stimulent drugs
uppers and downers drugs
V
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vacaya a device that emits sound, such as a jukebox or record player
vada to look
vadavision a television
vaf look at that wonderful thing! ("Vada, absolutely fantabulosa!")
vagarie variant of vaggerie
vagary variant of vaggerie
vaggerie to go, travel, leave
varda variant of vada
vardavision variant of vadavision
varder variant of vada
vardo variant of vada
vardy variant of vada
vera gin
versatile bisexual
voche 1. a voice. 2. a singer
vodkatini a vodka martini
vogue 1. a cigarette. 2. to light (a cigarette)
vonka a nose
W
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wallop to dance
walloper a dancer
wedding night the first time two men have sex together
willets breasts
winke a small penis
wonga money, earned from questionable sources
Y
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yews eyes
your actual intensifying phrase: for example, "We are your actual homeopathic practitioners"
Z
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zelda 1. a woman. 2. a witch
zhoosh 1. clothing. 2. trim or ornamentation. 3. to drink. 4. to style (hair). 5. to primp or apply makeup
zhooshy showy