Gay Slang Dictionary

The gay slang dictionary

What gay men really mean

From bears and twinks to tops, bottoms, Polari and porn jargon: where the words come from and how we use them today.

Browse A–Z Tribes and types

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V WXY Z

Tribes and types

Bears, otters, twinks, daddies and the rest of the family.

Big, hairy, bearded, and proud of every inch of fur.

Hairy like a bear, built like a swimmer.

Slim, smooth, boyish, and usually up past your bedtime.

Team sports, locker rooms and a jockstrap.

Gray in the beard, confidence in the walk.

Roles and sex

Tops, bottoms, vers and what actually happens in bed.

Gives, doesn't take. Allegedly in short supply.

Receptive, not passive. Ask any power bottom.

Tops, bottoms, and keeps his options open.

Not top, not bottom, still very much on the menu.

He's the one getting fucked, and the one in charge.

Scene and culture

Cruising, ballroom, camp and the places where it all happened.

A long look, a slow walk, and a nod toward the bushes.

Steam, towels, and nobody there for the steam.

Your kinks, folded neatly in your back pocket.

Wig, heels, lip sync, and a lot of nerve.

Where half of today's gay slang was born.

Porn jargon

The words the studios use, on and off camera.

Straight on Sundays, gay on set.

The shot the whole scene was paid for.

The warm-up act of porn, never in the credits.

He was promised a woman. Surprise.

Average need not apply.

Reclaimed words

Insults the community took back and made its own.

From insult to identity, the long way round.

The heaviest insult, sometimes turned into a badge.

Two centuries of the British sneer.

Pretty, fluttery, and taken back.

From sister to insult to proud femme.

Polari

The secret language of British gay men until the sixties.

Bona to vada: the secret slang of British gay men.

Polari for good, and still bona today.

Polari for look, and look twice.

Polari for tacky, now on every British tongue.

The small touch that turns ordinary into fabulous.