POLARI–ENGLISH DICTIONARY
(X–Z)
Past and present participles and adverbs (as well as comparative and superlative forms of adjectives) are listed under the relevant rootword when expanding upon the English or when the English equivalent is irregularly formed. Proposed Polari words or markers are indicated by an asterisk, while special usage is indicated by a degree sign (°). Note that “filler” words or English vocabulary spelled according to Polari orthography are not specially marked. Very occasionally I have had to bowdlerise the English text so that it would pass most Internet filters in public libraries, for otherwise the availability of my endeavors here would be limited.
ya 1 def. art. the; see in founges. 2 poss. adj. unstressed form of yor; see [in] akchwel, moudha, yor. [Eng.]
yarb* n. herb. — a/fraum dha yarb. herbal. [Roma. “yarb”, from Sp. “yerba”, listed in Chambers.]
yauki* adj. clever. [Roma. “yokki”; cf., Yidd. “yok”, (pej.) Gentile.]
yor poss adj.: 1 your: stressed form used (a) instead of unstressed ya or (b) before VV (yor eesaung, your nose). yor self. (a) yourself; (b) yourselves. 2 contraction of u ar. [Eng.]
yozi 1 adj. (a) inexperienced°, green°; (b) naïve°. 2 n. 1 person new to or inexperienced at gay sex. 2 [any] inexperienced person: greenhorn°. [Gay slang “yosie”, properly not Pola. but listed in Baker.]
-z1 pl. inflex equivalent to Eng. -(e)s. Note Pola. may make regular plurals of irregular plurals in Eng. (aux > auxiz or auxen). [Eng.]
-z2 poss. case.: ’s or s’ (without apostrophe in Pola.: Johnz). Morphology as above. Note -z is added no matter the original spelling of the proper n. (Cocteauz yauki lavz). [Eng.]
-z3 3rd pers. sing. inflex: -s (shee glimez). Morphology as above. [Eng.]
-z4 elision: ’s (without apostrophe in Pola.: sheez). Morphology as above. [Eng.]
zed n. letter Z (zed, zee [US]). [Eng.]
zee1* n. 1 (a) mind; (b) heart [fig.]. 2 brain; see in ann2. [Roma. “zi”.]
zee2 = zed
zeld/a n. (pl. -ez). 1 woman. 2 witch; see dooka. [Pola., from Zelda, a diminutive of Grizel (It. Griselda), in the gay, esp. Gayle, tradition of using female names, said to mean “grey war”.]
zeldichude* n. (always in sing.). witchcraft, witchery