Product Description

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 Kenneth Williams, American Gls in London and 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. Polari speakers camped up a storm, from West End chorus boys and office workers to East End sea-queens. Since gay liberation, lesbian and gay slang has become less a language of concealment than a language of specialization, though the tradition of camp remains. A carefully researched and entertaining read, 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #80525 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
'Simply Fantabulosa!... Definitely worth a vada and at [pound]12.99 an ideal pressy for your omee Palone!! So get out your handbag and get trollin to the shops!' Scotsgay Magazine

About the Author
Paul Baker is Lecturer in Linguistics and Modern English Language at Lancaster University. He acknowledges the contributions of sailors, drag queens, hustlers and up- and-coming porn stars in compiling the 1650 entries in this book.

Customer Reviews

Fun and easy.
This is a very accessible, easy to read book of which I haven't seen anything similar. Ideal for dipping into, I often find myself just reading page after page. The section on polari is particularly informative, especially considering that it is a form of language that most people really do not have a lot of knowledge about. The best side effect of this book I find, is realising that you are picking up the best words and phrases and using them in daily speech! A fun read.

Fantabulosa just says it all
This is one of my best buys in a long long time. I can't stress the humour and generally useful information available in this little book. It explains everything from 'Homosexual' to a few scary sounding sexual practices. So if you've ever been asked to do something you've never heard of and aren't sure if you want to, you can check in here. This book has had everyone I have shown it to laughing out loud within seconds of opening a random page.

This book provides invaluable information to any LGBT person as well as Heterosexuals looking into this wonderful community, while keeping a sense of humour and not getting too deep, which is easily done.

This is really a must buy for everybody. Everybody I know will be getting this book for their birthdays for the next year.

How bona to vada a dolly book!
Great fun. Old recordings of 'Round the Horne' have me in stitches and now I can work out what J&S are REALLY saying its an even greater pleasure. Here's to keeping away from dirty dishes! :-) Buy the book and you'll find out what I mean.