Fantabulosa by Paul Baker
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.
'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
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.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780826473431 |
| ISBN 10 | 0826473431 |
| Title | Fantabulosa |
| Author | Paul Baker |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Year published | 2004-03-25 |
| Number of pages | 254 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |