lisps and homosexuals

[Gerald Cohen]

I don't think this 1904 item represents a homosexual lisp. Rather it
looks like part of the speech patterns of the 1883ff.
"dudes"--brainless, well-dressed (high collar, tight pants, pointed
shoes, top hat, etc.) young men who seemed to be imitating Oscar
Wilde and what they considered to be British cultured gentlemen.

    Cartoonists and other humorists of their time had a field-day with them.

Gerald Cohen


At 12:02 AM -0500 2/24/04, Sam Clements wrote:
>Doug Wilson just posted to the "Gay self-appellation" thread and cited HDAS
>"gay boy" from 1904.
>
>So, I went to see the exact language.  And then I read the cite above it for
>"gay-and-frisky" which was rhyming slang for _whiskey_.
>
>But the interesting part was the actual quote:
>
>1904 Dunbar _Happy Hollow_ 248:  Whath the mattah?  Up againtht it? You look
>a little ol' to be doin' the gay an' frithky.
>
>Is there an earlier cite for imitating the stereotypical? gay lisp?  Or, am
>I just misreading this cite?
>
>SC