Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang

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To date, he’s worked on research and oral history projects, theatre productions, and art based around Polari and queer identity. Zhoosh” (/ˈʒʊʃ/, /ˈʒuːʃ/ or /ˈʒʊʒ/[20]) (generally pronounced “zhuzh” with the vowel sound of “hood”) meaning to smarten up, style or improve something, became commonplace more recently, having been used in the 2003 United States TV series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and What Not to Wear. Among confirmed gay men, however, there was nothing subtle about Polari conversations. The language was used to “recount stories of trade [sex], and cottaging [looking for sex in public bathrooms], and wigs and makeup and who was wearing what and who did what to whom,” says Dolan. “It was a way of showing off and bitching and all that kind of stuff.” In Hello Sailor! The Hidden History of Gay Life at Sea, Paul Baker and Jo Stanley write that Polari played a role in “allowing gay men to construct a humorously performative identity for themselves.” Flood, Rebecca (4 February 2017). "Church expresses 'huge regret' after Cambridge LGBT commemoration service held in gay slang language". The Independent . Retrieved 9 May 2018.

A number of words from Polari have entered mainstream slang. The list below includes words in general use with the meanings listed: acdc, barney, blag, butch, camp, khazi, cottaging, hoofer, mince, ogle, scarper, slap, strides, tod, [rough] trade.

Henry Mayhew gave a verbatim account of Polari as part of an interview with a Punch and Judy showman in the 1850s. The discussion he recorded references the arrival of Punch in England, crediting these early shows to a performer from Italy called Porcini (see also John Payne Collier’s account of Porsini—Payne Collier calls him Porchini—in Punch and Judy).[11] Mayhew provides the following: He would also change popular songs into Polari and make it really funny. When he explained the song afterwards, he would give the wrong translations to make it more confusing. Champion trampolinist Luke Strong on suffering homophobic bullying, fearing he may never walk again and coming out as bisexual Sherwood, Harriet (3 February 2017). "C of E college apologises for students' attempt to 'queer evening prayer' ". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.

Homosexuality was illegal and Polari was a chance for gay people to be themselves without risking their lives. Find out more about the Polari Bible, how it was translated, and Paul’s participation in a world record with it. Chaps who joined the merchant navy after the second world war looking for a glamorous life of travel to exotic lands while working as dining staff or stewards also used Polari, adopting new words from languages encountered around the globe. Baker, Paul (2003). Polari: The Lost Language of Gay Men. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-50635-4.

Baker, Paul (2002). Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang. London: Continuum. ISBN 0-8264-5961-7.