gaydirt -- new word?

[Laurence Horn]

At 8:19 PM -0700 10/3/04, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>"Gaydar" does not appear in Bruce Rodgers's vast collection of The
>Queens' Vernacular (1972), though it seems to be exactly the sort of
>word that he would have wished to include.
>
>The HDAS team didn't spot it until 1994, too late for Vol. I.
>
>JL
>

Interestingly, the first "Major Paper" cite of _gaydar_ is from The
(London) Independent and The Guardian, both from the spring of 1992
(illustrating the impressive mouth-to-print time lag for such lexical
items), but it's clear that the term was already well extant in the
U.S. by then (see below).  _Gaydar_ certainly had a lot more staying
power (even in that pre-Cialis age) than its competitors...

larry
==============


The Guardian (London)
April 10, 1992

  SECTION: FEATURES; Pg. 23

  HEADLINE: DIARY

  BYLINE: ANDREW MONCUR

...
  THE MONITOR has also collected a glossary of new terms, representing
current usage in the US. Thus: Afropean or Afro Saxon: blacks accused
of selling out to whites (as in Uncle Tom). Hong-Couver: previously
Vancouver; so named since the influx of wealthy exiles from Hong
Kong. Polar bear: a white person; a term used by young blacks.
Premature Kojakulation: going bald. Gaydar: the ability of
homosexuals to detect those of similar persuasion disguised as
straights. Gum gardening: working as a dental hygienist. Cadillac
Commie: one who expresses leftist views but enjoys the fruits of
capitalism; as in limousine liberal. Farting through silk: the state
of being rich.
...