About

The Gay Slang Dictionary explains the words gay men use: for each other, for sex, for the places where we meet and for the things that were once said against us. It is written by gay men, for gay men and for anyone who wants to understand what we really mean.

What you will find here

Six groups of words. Tribes and types, from bears and otters to twinks and daddies. Roles and sex, with the words of the bedroom and of the apps. Scene and culture, from cruising grounds and bathhouses to ballroom and camp. Porn jargon, the words of the studios. Reclaimed words, the slurs we took back. And Polari, the secret language British gay men spoke when being gay was a crime.

How it is written

Every entry opens with a short definition, then tells where the word comes from, how it is used today and what it can mean in different places and generations. Origins and dates come from dictionaries, books and studies, listed at the end of each entry. Where nobody really knows where a word comes from, we say so.

About the words

Some of the words in this dictionary were used to insult us, and some still are. We write them in full, because a dictionary that hides its words cannot explain them. Using a word to explain it is not the same as using it against someone.

The Gay Slang Dictionary is part of GayPornBuddies.