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This is what Wikipedia have to say about Polari/Palare:
Polari was used in London fishmarkets, the theatre, fairgrounds and circuses, hence the many borrowings from Romany. As many homosexual men worked in theatrical entertainment it was also used among the gay subculture, at a time when homosexual activity was illegal, to disguise homosexuals from hostile outsiders and undercover policemen. It was also used extensively in the British Merchant Navy, where many gay men joined ocean liners and cruise ships as waiters, stewards and entertainers.[9] On one hand, it would be used as a means of cover to allow gay subjects to be discussed aloud without being understood; on the other hand, it was also used by some, particularly the most visibly camp and effeminate, as a further way of asserting their identity.
I only knew what Polari/Palare was through the Morrissey song 'Piccadilly Palare' and realised I use a fair bit of the vocabulary even today. It was certainly common in east London where I was brought up.
Can anyone shed any light?
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