Polari

Part of speech: noun, verb, adjective

Definitions

1. A secret coded slang blending Italian, Romani, Cockney rhyming and theatrical jargon, once used by British performers and gay men
2. An informal cant language developed in Britain for discreet communication among theatre folk, sailors and homosexual men
3. The covert argot of mid-twentieth-century Britain, drawing on Italian and Romani words to speak privately in public places

Etymology: Polari is a secret slang that grew up in the British theatre, merchant navy and gay subcultures, and its name comes from Italian "parlare", meaning "to talk". The word therefore carries its own hint about what it is: a way of talking. Its vocabulary draws on that talking tradition, with borrowings from Italian, Romani, Yiddish and rhyming slang mixed into English. Speakers used the language to communicate without outsiders understanding them, which made it useful where being overheard could bring danger or embarrassment. Common words such as "bona" for good, "dolly" for pretty, or "varda" for look show how the vocabulary was built from familiar sources in unfamiliar combinations.