Feature : the lost-and-found language of men

Polari: the lost-and-found language of gay men “Bona to vada your dolly eek ” A few decades ago, gay men often used to talk to each other in a secret language – Polari – which today hardly anyone remembers. Paul Baker examines the reasons for its demise and assesses its chances of a comeback.

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"With a lexicon made up mainly of nouns (largely depicting people, body parts, clothing and everyday objects), verbs (a fair number related to sex, social interaction or performance) and evaluative adjectives, it was perfect for gossiping about people while they were present."

t is October 2012 and I feels appropriate – and I take LGBT (, Gay, Bisexual am in Bury (population some pleasure that it is still and ) people over 60,718), a market town confounding and confusing the twentieth century. Starting in northern England, ordinary people, even when an with no rights whatsoever and standing outside an LCD projector shines the a propensity to be blackmailed, imposing late-Victorian right into the 21st century. beaten up or imprisoned, gay Iart gallery building. I am here as I am too young to have people had to figure out a way of part of Bury Light Night – the heard Polari spoken in its communicating their existence town centre has turned into a heyday, and my introduction to to each other, and once contact night-time entertainment venue, it was befitting to someone born had been made, to continue that with a funfair, market stalls, into the middle of Generation conversation, without anyone fireworks and street performers. X, where a love of retro was else figuring out that they were As the sun sets, in the twilight essential when growing up. In in the presence of dangerous I notice the words he’s nada the 1990s a friend called Julian subversives (if you believed the to vada in the larder appear in played me a release of a 1960s newspapers). gigantic letters, projected onto BBC radio series called Round So dropping a Polari the exterior walls of the building. the Horne which featured a into a conversation with a People by look up and regular sketch called Julian stranger acted as a password, mouth the phrase silently to and Sandy (what is it with all opening up myriad possibilities, themselves, or rhyme the words these gay Julians?) where the although in the ‘twilight world out loud, slightly incredulously, characters enthusiastically of the homosexual subculture’, wondering what it is all about. A spoke a kind of watered-down, Polari would be used much few passersby seem to be in on easy-to-follow version of Polari. more extensively and openly, the secret though, and smile to We found it funny, in an ironic sometimes as a kind of themselves knowingly. way, and I wondered what had competition, as some gay men The phrase is a rather happened in the intervening tried to out-camp each other, unkind epithet, to be used years to mean that none of my performing deliciously bitchy on a fellow who is not very gay friends had used it, or even battles for the entertainment well endowed, and it has been heard of it. It felt like there was of on-lookers. With a lexicon projected onto the building, a great story to tell around this made up mainly of nouns along with a range of other, almost mythological language, (largely depicting people, body similar phrases, as part of an and it led me to embark on parts, clothing and everyday ongoing art installation on an interesting and at times objects), verbs (a fair number Polari, an ‘almost’-language unconventional doctoral related to sex, social interaction used largely by gay men in the research project. Not many PhD or performance) and evaluative 20th century, which has been students get to interview adjectives, it was perfect for declining steadily in use since queens in hotels in Brighton, gossiping about people while the 1960s. Polari developed out while the said drag is they were present. Polari of a selective combination of having a new beehive wig fitted. doesn’t have many prepositions secret lexicons, used by My goal was to find out as although its most well-known entertainers, circus performers, much about Polari as I could, one ajax (most likely a truncation travelling men where it had come from, who of adjacent to), attests to the and costermongers (who worked used it, how and why, and what “in your eke” (i.e. in your face) in travelling markets) so its happened to make it go away nature of its use – vada the naff presence during Bury’s night of again so quickly. Its rise and fall omee-palone with the cod riah ajax grass-roots street entertainment neatly match the treatment of translates to look at the awful gay

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Another strong aspect of Polari is pronoun switching, or “sheing” in man with the wig next to us. current gay slang, which is still popular in some circles. At a bar in As well as having its roots Manchester, a “she box” was recently installed, similar to a “swear in various of travelling or box” with offenders being required to pay up for each errant she that stigmatised groups, Polari has they used. Someone’s boyfriend, new to the scene dared to express a strong antecedent in Italian, disapproval of one bar denizen who liked to use the pronoun a little so much so that only the most too much. “She shes!” shrugged his partner, turning she into a verb. linguistically unaware speaker But even as a pronoun, she can transcend its status as merely third would try to get away with using person, jumping into second (you) or even first person (I), as in the it there. On holiday, a couple following conversation: of English friends decided to Barry: Oh look, she’s here. impress those back home with [Enter Russell] designer Italian shoes and while Barry: Hello dear. How’s she? trying some on, began to extol Russell: She’s fine dear. the physical virtues of the male For an older gay man or one who is slightly more experienced, she will shop assistant, imagining that no longer do, and the first person pronoun of choice is your mother Polari would protect them. But as in “your mother’s gagging for a vogue ducky!” (a request for a the assistant understood enough cigarette in Polari). to express his gratitude for the compliment, causing much embarrassment and a quick exit. Some say that Polari reached a peak after World War II and into the early 1950s. During the war, people turned a blind eye to non-traditional or hedonistic sexuality (there were bigger issues to worry about and anyway, it might be your last chance in the blackout) and with many couples separated, relationships became opportunistic and complicated. However, after the war ended, and soldiers came home, there was a desire for a return to the status quo. Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation in 1953 sparked a ‘clean-up’ campaign of homosexuality in , with many more arrests and drag shows being banned. No-one, not even Alan Turing, who was instrumental in cracking the Enigma machine-codes, was safe from prosecution. In 1952, turning to the police after he was robbed, he found himself under arrest and in a remarkable display of institutional violence was chemically castrated via injections of stilboestrol which caused him to develop . His death via cyanide poisoning at the age of 41

The Polari Bible © Jez Dolan shortly afterwards has been

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attributed to suicide, as some about the body of Jesus Christ published, officially sanctioned claim the half-eaten apple by (which is still illegal to publish). version of the scripts. his bed had been dipped in the However, had But just as Julian and poison. With an ending written a friend in the Director General Sandy helped to educate the by the Brothers Grimm, this of the BBC, , British public that gay men were horrific fairy tale of homophobic who wasn’t adverse to smutty not communist spies after all, ingratitude still makes me angry, humour and couldn’t abide Mrs they also killed Polari’s golden particularly as Turing is yet to be Whitehouse. goose, exposing the secret and pardoned. I was lucky enough to making it less viable to be used, The moral panic continued interview one of the surviving say, in the public setting of a into the early 1960s, having writers of the sketches, Barry crowded tube carriage. And fresh life breathed into it Took, just before his own death, in any case, decriminalisation when communist spy John who told me that much of the meant there was less need for a Vassall was discovered to Polari in RTH was authentic, secret language. The tortured, be gay. However, it was an coming direct from Williams’ cardigan-wearing, 1950s queen earlier arrest and humiliation own knowledge of British gay was about to be replaced by of a group of relatively high- culture. Took confessed that the late 60s/early 70s gay profile men (Lord Montagu of some of Williams’ Polari was too liberationist – younger, earnest, Beaulieu, Michael Pitt-Rivers confusing, even for them, such politically radical yet sharing and Peter Wildeblood) in the as the phrase lau your luppers on something in common with mid-50s that was instrumental the strillers bona (play something sworn enemy Mrs Whitehouse in the commission of the nice on the piano), but everyone – that very British love of . In 1957 was too embarrassed to admit complaining. the report recommended their ignorance so Williams The liberationists HATED the decriminalisation of was given free rein. Williams Polari, viewing it as a symbol homosexuality, and in typical has described in his diaries of the old gay world that they speedy fashion was finally how there was sometimes were desperate to get away from. implemented 10 years later, artistic conflict during the They wanted the opposite of interestingly, the same year recording of the programme, secrecy and Polari was subjected when Round The Horne peaked, with Took becoming overly to a searing critique in the gay winning an award for the best concerned that the program was magazines of the day (which radio comedy program. It seems becoming too rude. Williams were somewhat more esoteric that ordinary members of the impishly took advantage of his than today’s offerings). When public were happy to embrace superior knowledge of Polari to held up against a feminist , who were introduce not only double but perspective, Polari was found lovingly rendered by the already- triple entendres, which would to be severely lacking. In 1972, popular and have sailed over the heads of in the magazine Lunch, Mary . Williams played both and McIntosh wrote “…camp is the excitable, sharp-tongued , although would a form of minstrellisation… Sandy while Paddick was the have been understood by the parlare is a product of a culture gentler, sometimes anguished most ardent Polari speakers. For that is deeply ambivalent Julian, regularly cajoled into example, in one sketch Julian and even while it celebrates ‘unburdening’ himself about and Sandy are being employed effeminacy, ‘obviousness’ and some mishap or other. Round as reluctant cleaners and Julian casual promiscuous sexuality the Horne even escaped the complains ‘We couldn’t wash up (precisely the elements that the wrath of clean-up campaigner in here, all the dishes are dirty!” straight world most abhors) Mary Whitehouse as the show’s Sandy (Kenneth Williams) can never really accept that sexual content was screened ad libs “Speak for yourself!” these are good… The terms of behind a fug of Polari and The audience laugh – dish was address that are distinctively innuendo. Whitehouse had to commonly known slang for an gay are always used in a negative content herself with successfully attractive man (“isn’t he dishy!”). mocking way: ‘Ooh, get you prosecuting Gay News for But dish had a third, somewhat Duchess’”. In a follow-up article, blasphemy when it published ruder, Polari meaning – referring Jonathan Raban wrote “the a poem describing the sexual to one’s back quarters. The ad obvious trap facing any member fantasies of a Roman centurion lib did not find its way into the of a recognisable minority is that

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Bury Light Night in October 2012: A Polari projection confounds most passersby. his symbols will consume him; and Sandy in the popular And that explains why by that his identity will disappear sitcom Are You Being Served. the end of the 20th century, into the narrow funnel of The liberationists objected Polari had pretty much died his clothes and slang. He will to the camp stereotypes. I out. In 2010, the World Oral become no more than a shrill guess they had a point – there Literature Project at the mouthpiece for a sectarian lobby, wasn’t exactly a glut of three- University of Cambridge determined, in the case of the dimensional, complicated gay included Polari on a list of homosexual, by a language of characters in the media at the about three and a half thousand body parts and fucking… Isn’t time – but their protests reflect endangered languages. While its it time for everybody to tidy an impatience with a society status as a language is somewhat their toys away, to put the old that was clearly decades behind debatable (I’m not sure it can uniforms in the trunk in the them in terms of attitudes to be used to communicate in attic, or donate them to Oxfam, homosexuality and was more every context – like, say, giving and to take a few, at least, of the likely to respond better to a science lesson), I wasn’t bricks out of the walls of the cheerful, resolute education than surprised to hear that it was ghetto?” them turning on each other. officially endangered. Very few With its gender swapping The final nail in Polari’s coffin people have used it in the last and some negative terms for came in the form of a cultural thirty years and even its main black people and women, Polari cringe – with America providing group of speakers are often was seen as terminally racist a new template for British gay clueless to its existence. When I and sexist (as is much of 1970s culture, excitedly discovered via carried out a poll of about 800 society by today’s standards). cheap flights to San Francisco gay men over a decade ago, half So rather than embracing its and New York. Britons imported the respondents had never heard role in enabling gay people to the ‘clone’ look consisting of of it, and of those who did know keep on going during darker leather jackets, moustaches and about it, a good proportion decades, it was decided to throw muscles. But clones didn’t speak of them believed that it was out the baby with the bathwater Polari, instead they showed you a outdated and best left forgotten. and concentrate instead on coloured handkerchief to let you I subsequently named my book picketing John Inman who know what sexual position and on the topic Polari: The Lost played a lovably camp shop activity they preferred. Language of Gay Men. assistant in the style of Julian

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And when I was carrying the fog into earlier decades, him, his little lallies trembling out my research into Polari Polari began to be reappraised with anticipation, heart of gold, in the 1990s and early 2000s, by academics in a rather kinder feet of lead, and a knob of butter. I often felt that I was racing light, seen as an important So, perhaps we could take a little against time, with so few aspect of gay cultural history, a time to reach out and touch, to speakers left to find and fewer testament to the fortitude and handle for a moment Dezzie’s every year. Not everyone wished creativity of those who lived collective parts.” me well either. An advert I placed through much more difficult And after Polari was in a local newspaper asking for times, and also as camp fun. rediscovered first by academics, older gay men to contact me Andy Medhurst has argued and then male nuns, as usual resulted in an angry message that despite the efforts of it was next the turn of big left on my answer-phone liberationists, camp has proven business, or rather, it began to be “What I think you are doing is difficult to banish: “Camp… used in commercial concerns – DISGUSTING!” Fortunately, was weaned on surviving cropping up in the names of gay, I had more helpful responses, disdain – she’s a tenacious gay-run or gay-friendly cafes, including a number of speakers old tigress of a discourse well bars or other establishments in who had used Polari extensively versed in defending her corner. places as diverse as Brighton, in the Merchant Navy, where If decades of homophobic Margate, Stoke on Trent and a kind of holiday atmosphere pressure had failed to defeat Australia. A few years ago I was had prevailed and crew and camp, what chance did a mere contacted by a Cabaret club in passengers turned a blind eye to reorganization of subcultural London’s Soho called Madame camp goings-on. In “the merch’” priorities stand?” JoJos, and asked to help provide speakers devised new words to In one of the more a training sheet in Polari for reflect their own situation – a interesting examples of Polari’s the staff, so they could use the lattie on water was a ship (literally revival, British branches of a language as part of recreating an a house on water), a sea-queen global organisation called the old-school music hall experience. was a gay man at sea and a Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence There is now a Polari iphone app, curtain was a curtain hung picked up Polari and gave it a an online magazine called Polari down the middle of cabin which modern makeover. The Sisters and a London literary salon separated two bunks and could are a worldwide organisation with the same name. A group of be pulled across for privacy if which started in San Francisco Manchester-based artists called one had company. There was so and produced the first safer The Ultimate Holding Company much to discover about life at sea sex pamphlet and the first have continued this redefinition for gay men, that I co-authored a AIDS candlelight vigil. They of Polari as camp political book on the subject (Hello Sailor) combine camp with activism performance. In 2010, the group with Jo Stanley, which went and the British branches of the designed an exam around on to be a travelling museum organisation adopted Polari as subjects like maths, history and exhibit. a form of religious language, science, all with questions from But apart from small similar to the way that Catholics an LGBT perspective, in order to clutches of older speakers who use Latin, incorporating it highlight how LGBT issues and used it occasionally and are into their blessings and other people tend to be erased from probably better characterised ceremonies. Ian Lucas has education. The language portion as ‘rememberers’, it proved to be described how they canonised of the exam was comprised of difficult to locate many people the film-maker Sir Derek questions on Polari, and as part who used Polari regularly and Jarman (in a rather hands-on of the project, volunteers took consistently. However, I did ceremony), with the following the exam under strict conditions, find another group of people words: “Sissies and Omies receiving certificates if they who were starting to emerge and palonies of the Gathered passed. Joseph Richardson (also – the ‘revivers’. The revivalist Faithful, we’re now getting to from The Ultimate Holding movement began in earnest in the kernel, the nub, the very Company) and Jez Dolan have the 1990s, emerging carefully thrust of why we’re gathered collaborated with Tim Greening- through the new field of here today at Derek’s bona bijou Jackson (a computer scientist and Theory. With many of the battles lattie. The reason being that one of the Sisters of Perpetual over gay liberation starting to Dezzie, bless his heart-face, is Indulgence) who had created be won, now peering through very dear to our heart. Look at a Polari version of the Bible

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Nanti Polari? “it’s a bona day”. If Polari has found its way onto , then Then here are a few words to get you started: perhaps rumours of its demise riah – hair. Quite a few Polari words were formed through the are exaggerated or at least practice of backslang – i.e. pronouncing a word as if it was spelt should be postponed. While backwards. Other examples include esong, ecaf, doog gels. Polari can’t and shouldn’t fulfil Count up to twelve in Polari – una, dewey, tray, quattro, the same function that it did in chinqua, say, setter, otter, nobber, daiture, lepta, kenza. the 20th century, its evolution, reappraisal and rediscovery by matlocks – teeth. Polari speakers were adept at extending the newer generations of gay men meaning of words by using combinations. A matlock mender is ensures that it will continue to therefore a dentist. Polari pipes means telephone and lattie on play an ongoing, if small role, in wheels is a car or taxi. British gay culture. And I think Betty Bracelets, Hilda Handcuffs, Lily Law – the police. that’s healthy. ¶ Nobody escaped Polari’s imperative to blur and confuse gender roles. nanti – a general negator used in various phrases: nanty handbag (I’ve got no money), nanti Polari (don’t speak), nanti pots in the cupboard (no teeth), nanti that (forget it). omees and palones – men and women. A gay man was an omee-palone. You can probably guess what a lesbian was. -ette – a general suffix to ‘Polarify’ any noun. A glassette of wine implies quite a small quantity, although this phrase could be used ironically to refer to an enormous glass.

using computer algorithms, cajoled her to eat something and Paul Baker is Professor of English in order to get a version of the entertained her with rude jokes Language at Lancaster University Bible installed at the Cathedral- (“I stayed in a gay hotel once, where he teaches and researches in the like John Rylands Library in called The White Swallow”). The areas of corpus , language Manchester. As part of a larger public, who had been expecting and gender/sexual identities and critical exhibition on Polari, it currently Julian to be a swishing diva, discourse analysis. His work on Polari has generated significant media interest resides there on a lectern, and were second-footed to find a and his research has recently been used visitors are required to put on quiet, introspective and kind as the basis of an exhibition on Polari at a pair of white gloves before man behind the outrageous the John Rylands Library in Manchester. inspecting it so the Bible is not stage act. A few days later, on his forever stained by damaging oil Twitter account, Clary tweeted secretions from their fingers (a nice nod to high camp). It Find out more is these artists who are also responsible for projecting Polari Books words onto Bury Art Gallery. Polari: The Lost Language of Gay Men by Paul Baker (Routledge, 2002) In September 2012 yet Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang by Paul Baker (Continuum, 2002). another gay Julian, this time the Chapters comedian Julian Clary, won the ‘The color of his eyes: Polari and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’ by Ian Lucas. In British version of Celebrity Big Queerly Phrased, edited by Anna Livia and Kira Hall (Oxford University Press, 1997: Brother, through a combination pages 85-94). of dignity, wry observational ‘Camp’ by Andy Medhurst. In Lesbian and Gay Studies: A Critical Introduction, edited by wit and support to another Andy Medhurst and Sally Munt (Cassell, 1997: pages 274-293). contestant, Julie Goodyear, Online herself a gay icon (minor second The Polari Bible: www.thesisters.demon.co.uk/bible class). Julian made her cups of Polari Mission, a website detailing exhibitions, performances and visual artwork tea, physically supported her aimed at preserving Polari: http://polarimission.com while she walked around, gently

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