Polari

Throughout the 1930s-60s, Polari could be heard throughout London in places where gay men, theatre and circus folk, and potential criminals hung out, such as in bars, cafes, and the theatre. Polari wasn't only common in London but could also be found across cities with a sizeable gay community.

The secretness of Polari allowed people who, at the time, were deemed lawbreakers to talk amongst themselves confidently without fear of being reported or caught by undercover police.

By the end of the 1960s, Polari started to die out, mainly because the need to 'hide' from the law was no longer as necessary and because the language itself wasn't much of a secret anymore. In the mid-1960s, two famous British comedians began using Polari on a popular radio show, meaning the secrecy of the secret language was lost.

Today, some Polari words are still in use and have made their way into mainstream slang.

Polari Words

Due to the nature of the language, Polari contains a lot of words surrounding sexuality, clothing, appearances, and the gay lifestyle at the time. Polari has a core vocabulary of around 20/25 words, as well as around 450+ words that are known by some but not others.

As Polari is predominantly a lexical language variety that derived from English, its grammar remained much the same as that of English. Although most people used Polari by simply exchanging out some English words, a few Polari speakers attempted to standardize and record Polari grammar.

These rules were similar to English grammar, except slightly more standardized. For example,

• Add the suffix "-s" to the end of a noun to make a plural

• Add the suffix "-er" to the end of a verb to create a noun

• Add the suffix "-ing" to the end of a verb to show a continuous aspect

• Add the suffix "-ed" to the end of a verb to show a completed aspect

Polari Numbers

Polari also had its own number system, suggesting the language was once used on a daily basis for everyday activities.

The numbers are:

Polari Slang

By the end of the 1960s, many polari words had made it into mainstream slang, and some Polari words can still be heard in Britain, and around the world, today.

The first time Polari really made an impact in the mainstream media was when it appeared on the BBC radio show Round the Horne in the mid-60s. The show began using Polari in some of its sketches and Polari vocabulary began making its way into the mainstream from there. Famous Polari lines that appeared in the show included:

Translation: Nice to see your pretty old face

Translation: Men and women of the jury, look well at the face of the poor man who stands before you, his legs trembling.

Polari has also cropped up in other mainstream media outlets, such as in a song by the British artist Morrisey (So bona to vada...oh you! Your lovely eek and your lovely riah - from 'Piccadilly Palare'), and even in an episode of Ru Paul's Drag Race.

Some Polari words that exist in slang today include:

• Naff - tasteless

• Camp - a feminine man

• Butch - a masculine woman

• Slap - makeup

• Drag - women's clothes

Polari Dictionary

There is no official Polari dictionary, and it's unlikely one is going to appear any time soon. However, a handful of Polari words have made their way into the Oxford English Dictionary, including naff and butch.