Polari, a lost language.

chippychippy <b style="color:pink;">Global Moderator</b>
edited January 2012 in Life
Polari (also seen as 'Palare') is a gay slang language, which has now almost died out. It was more common in the 1960's when gays had more need of a private slang.
Polari featured heavily in the "Julian and Sandy" sketches on the BBC radio program "Round the Horne" in the late 60s, and this is how a lot of people first heard of Polari. A few words like 'bona' can still be seen in gay publications, used for camp effect. There are even hairdressers in London and Brighton called "Bona Riah".

Polari itself was never clearly defined: an ever-changing collection of slang from various sources including Italian, English (backwards slang, rhyming slang), circus slang, canal-speak, Yiddish and Gypsy languages. It is impossible to tell which slang words are real Polari.

In London, there was a West End dialect, based on theatre-speak, which was posher than the East End dialect, based on canal/boat-speak.

Here are a couple of songs written by Marty Feldman and Kenneth Williams. Kenneth Williams was notoriously gay and Marty Feldman co wrote these songs as a rebellion against folk songs which he detested. They were performed on a radio show aired in the 50's by Kenneth Williams in the character of Rambling Syd Rumpo.
When I was a clencher's bogle man
In famous Lincoln Town,
I'd often clench my bogling fork
For less than half-a-crown.
And I would joggle and nurk my boys
As quickly I shall tell,
Oh 'tis my delight on a shining night
And a foggy night as well.

Oh once I took my moulies
And I set them in a snare.
Twas then I spied a scroper's man
A'whirdling a hare.
But I was not afeared my boys
Of that there is no doubt.
Oh tis my delight on a shining night
When the coppers aren't about.

Although I'm over eighty now
My bogle I still clench
And I will flutter my artifacts
At any passing wench.
I've tickled many a screebling nut
as on my way I go -
Oh tis my delight on a shining night
At 50p a throw!
Joe, he was a young cordwangler,
Munging greebles he did go,
And he loved a bogler's daughter
By the name of Chiswick Flo.

Vain she was and like a grusset
Though her gander parts were fine,
But she sneered at his cordwangle
As it hung upon the line.

So he stole a woggler's mooly
For to make a wedding ring,
But the Bow Street Runners caught him
And the judge said "He will swing."

Oh, they hung him by the postern,
Nailed his mooly to the fence
For to warn all young cordwanglers
That it was a grave offence.

There's a moral to this story,
Though your cordwangle be poor,
Keep your hands off other's moolies,
For it is against the law.





It's amazing that they got away with what they did on the BBC in those days, when being openly gay carried many dangers, such as arrest and fines or even imprisonment.

Interesting little read here for anyone interested in Polari: http://www.polari.org.uk/

Comments

  • RemadERemadE Global Moderator
    edited January 2012
    Interesting read :thumbsup: always loved Kenneth Williams (Carry On fan here) and although I was aware all sorts of languages, dialects and the like existed on our small Island - this came as something of a welcome surprise.
    Cheers for the post. Just woke up and already learnt something :)

    PS. When it comes to slang, I love American thoughts to the English on it. This would just blow the minds of some I know :p
Sign In or Register to comment.