A Hidden Code on the High Seas
For centuries, sailors developed their own dialects and slang to navigate life at sea. Within this culture, LGBT sailors used Polari—a hybrid cant slang mixing Italian, Romani, Cockney rhyming slang, and theater jargon—as a secret code. In a world where same-sex relationships were criminalized, Polari gave sailors both discretion and identity. It allowed them to talk about attraction, sex, and community in plain earshot of officers and “lily law” (police) without exposing themselves to punishment.
Why Polari Mattered for LGBT Sailors
On cramped ships and in heavily policed ports, discretion was survival. Polari offered:
Freedom: On shore leave, Polari became a passport to hidden bars, casual hookups, and trusted allies.
Cover: Men could discuss desire, partners, or encounters without superiors catching on.
Belonging: The slang created a sense of “insiders vs. outsiders.”
Everyday and Sexual Terms in Polari
General Vocabulary
- Bona – Good, attractive
- Omi – Man
- Palone – Woman
- Omi-palone – Gay man
- Vada – Look/see
- Zhoosh – Style or fix up
- Lily law – Police
Sexual Vocabulary
Polari had a cheeky, often playful approach to sex—mixing innuendo with humor. Some of the more risqué terms included:
- Trade – A casual sexual partner, often a straight-identified man picked up for a fling.
- Riah – Hair, but also used flirtatiously (“Nice riah on that omi”).
- Troll – To cruise, look for partners. (Later borrowed into American gay slang.)
- Bona lallies – Attractive legs.
- Cottage – A public toilet used for anonymous sex. (Gave rise to “cottaging.”)
- Vada the eek – Look at the face (checking someone out).
- Omi-palone basket – A man who took the receptive role in sex (often used in a teasing or campy way).
- Naff – Rubbish or bad, but also a dismissive way of rejecting an advance.
- Lallie-tapper – Penis.
- Charver – A younger or rougher sexual partner, sometimes implying a rent boy.
- Trollin’ trade – Actively cruising for hookups.
- Scarper – To leave quickly after a sexual encounter, avoiding trouble.
Example in Use
A Polari-speaking sailor might say:
“Let’s troll the docks, vada the bona omis, and see if we can pick up some trade before lily law turns up.”
(Translation: “Let’s cruise the docks, look at the attractive men, and see if we can find partners before the police show up.”)
From Survival to Legacy
By the 1970s, Polari was fading, its secrecy less necessary as decriminalization and gay liberation spread. Yet, it remains a fascinating window into how LGBT sailors carved out space for sex, humor, and community in a world that otherwise erased them. Today, linguists and queer historians preserve Polari as a testament to resilience—proof that even in hostile waters, gay culture found ways to flourish.
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