Are you bona enough for our Polari quiz?
As LGBT History Month begins… how much do you know about secret gay code Polari?
Polari is a form of Cant slang that was deployed by gay men in the UK, at a time when homosexuality was illegal, to converse without risk of being found out by eavesdroppers.
It was further popularised on comedy show Round the Horne, when used by Julian and Sandy – characters played by Hugh Paddick and Kenneth Williams.
But the Polari code slowly fell out of favour after the legalisation of gay sex acts in England and Wales in 1967 – and while slang words like ‘naff’ and ‘barney’ are still around, many people are unaware it every existed.
How much Polari do you think you can recognise? Take our quiz below. (This might take a minute to load)
