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Polari
The slang British gay men used to talk in code when being gay was a crime, and the words that survived it.
Polari
Bona to vada: the secret slang of British gay men.
Bona
Polari for good, and still bona today.
Vada
Polari for look, and look twice.
Omi
Polari for man: bona if you're lucky.
Palone
Polari for woman, and for any friend who earned it.
Omi-palone
Man plus woman equals one of us.
Naff
Polari for tacky, now on every British tongue.
Zhoosh
The small touch that turns ordinary into fabulous.
Lallies
Polari for legs, best said after leg day.
Eek
Face, spelled backwards and powdered.
