Wednesday 19 June 2013

Let's all speak palare

I've recently been reading a number of works by the magnificent English poet/writer Jeremy Reed and combined with a recent spell of listening to Julian and Sandy's exploits on 'Round the Horne', I've  been finding Palare creeping back into my lexicon.


According to Wikipedia Palare (or alternatively ParlareParlaryPaloriPalariePalari; from Italian parlare, "to talk") is a form of cant slang used in Britain by actors, circus and fairground showmen, merchant navy sailors, criminals, prostitutes and the gay subculture. It was popularised in the 1960s by camp characters Julian and Sandy in the popular BBC radio show Round the Horne.  There is some debate about its origins, but it can be traced back to at least the 19th century and possibly the 16th century. There is a longstanding connection with Punch and Judy street puppet performers who traditionally used Polari to converse

Be that as it may, here are some bona palare phrases for your perusal...

WordDefinition
ajaxnearby (from adjacent?)
alamohot for you/him
aunt nelllisten, hear
aunt nellsears
aunt nelly fakesearrings
aunt nell danglersearrings
barneya fight
basketthe bulge of male genitals through clothes
battsshoes
bibibisexual
bitcheffeminate or passive gay man
bijousmall/little (means "jewel" in French)
blagpick up
bluecode word for "homosexual"
bodbody
bonagood
bona nochygoodnight (from Italian - buona notte)
bonaroowonderful, excellent
bungerypub, this comes from the English word for the closure on a barrel.
butchmasculine; masculine lesbian
buvarea drink (from Italian - bere or old-fashioned Italian - bevere or Lingua Francabevire)
cackletalk/gossip
campeffeminate (possibly from Italian campare "exaggerate, make stand out")
capello/capellahat (from Italian - cappello)
carseytoilet, also spelt khazi
carts/cartsopenis (from Italian - cazzo)
catstrousers
charperto search (from Italian - acchiappare - to catch)
charpering omipoliceman
charverto shag/a shag (sexual intercourse) (from Italian - chiavare)
chickenyoung man
clobberclothes
codnaff, vile
cottagea public lavatory used for sexual encounters
cottagingseeking or obtaining sexual encounters in public lavatories
covefriend
crimperhairdresser
dallysweet, kind. Possibly an alternate pronunciation of dolly.
dilly boya male prostitute
dinarimoney (Latin denarii was the 'd' of the pre decimal penny)
dishbuttocks
dollypretty, nice, pleasant
donawoman (perhaps from Italian donna or Lingua Franca dona)
dorcasterm of endearment, 'one who cares'. The Dorcas Society was a ladies' church association of the nineteenth century, which made clothes for the poor.
dragclothes, esp. women's clothes (prob from Romani — indraka — skirt; also possibly from German - tragen - v. to wear (clothes))
dossbed
ecafface (backslang)
eekface (abbreviation of ecaf)
endshair
esongnose (backslang)
fantabulosafabulous/wonderful
feele/freely/fillychild/young (from the Italian figlio, for son)
fruitqueen
funtpound
geltmoney (Yiddish)
handbagmoney
hooferdancer
HP (homy polone)effeminate gay man
jarryfood, also mangarie (from Italian mangiare or Lingua Franca mangiaria)
jubesbreasts
kaffiestrousers
khazitoilet, also spelt carsey
lacoddybody
lallies (lylies)legs
lallie tappersfeet
latty/lattieroom, house or flat
lillshands
lillypolice (Lilly Law)
lyleslegs (prob. from "Lisle stockings")
lucoddybody
luppersfingers (Yiddish — lapa — paw)
mangariefood, also jarry (from Italian mangiare or Lingua Franca mangiaria)
martinishands
measuresmoney
meeseplain, ugly (from Yiddish "meeiskeit, in turn from Hebrew מָאוּס repulsive, loathsome, despicable, abominable)
meshigenernutty, crazy, mental (from Yiddish, in turn from Hebrew מְשֻׁגָּע crazy)
metzasmoney (Italian -mezzi "means, wherewithal")
mincewalk (affectedly)
naffawful, dull, hetero
nantinot, no, none (Italian — niente)
national handbagdole, welfare, government financial assistance
oglelook, admire
ogleseyes
oglefakesglasses
omiman (from Romance)
omi-paloneeffeminate man, or homosexual
onknose (cf "conk")
orbseyes
palare pipetelephone ("talk pipe")
palliassback
park, parkergive
platefeet; to fellate
palonewoman (Italian paglione - "straw mattress", [viz. old Cant "hay-bag" = woman])
palone-omilesbian
potsteeth
remouldsex change
riah/rihahair (backslang)
riah zhoosherhairdresser
rough tradea working class or blue collar sex partner or potential sex partner; a tough, thuggish or potentially violent sex partner
scarperto run off (from Italian scappare, to escape or run away or from rhyming slang Scapa Flow, to go)
schlumphdrink
scotchleg (scotch egg=leg)
screechmouth, speak
sharpypoliceman (from — charpering omi)
sharpy polonepolicewoman
shushsteal (from client)
shush baghold-all
shyker/shycklewig (mutation of the Yiddish sheitel)
slapmakeup
sohomosexual (e.g. "Is he 'so'?")
stimpslegs
stimpcoversstockings, hosiery
stridestrousers
strillerspiano
switchwig
thewsthighs
toberroad (a Shelta word, Irish bóthar)
todd (Sloanne)alone
tootsie tradesex between two passive homosexuals (as in: 'I don't do tootsie trade')
tradesex, sex-partner, potential sex-partner
trollto walk about (esp. looking for trade)
vada/varderto see (from Italian — dialect vardare = guardare - look at)
vardered — vardering
vera (lynn)gin
voguecigarette (from Lingua Franca — fogus - "fire, smoke")
vogueressfemale smoker
willetsbreasts
yews(from French "yeux") eyes
zhooshstyle hair, tart up, mince
(Romani - "zhouzho" - clean, neat)

zhoosh our riah — style our hair
zhooshyshowy

Polari Omies and palones of the jury, vada well at the eek of the poor ome who stands before you, his lallies trembling.—taken from "Bona Law", a Round The Horne sketch written by Barry Took and Marty Feldman


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