gunsel

[paulzjoh]

I thought that Bogart was calling Cook a faggot when he said gunsel.
When I first saw the movie I was too young to know about homosexuality,
little else sex, but rewatching the movie on TV, it seems that  there is
a Hollywood euphuism at work there.

Mullins, Bill wrote:

>The OED has Gunsel in 1914 for one definition (catamite), and
>1950 for another (the Elisha Cook Jr. type).  This joke from
>N'Archive may be using the word as a proper name (as many
>cites from the era show up), but in context, it may be
>related to the slang word.
>
>Ohio | Newark | Newark Daily Advocate | 1896-06-18 p.5/4
>
>"He Forgot to Mention It.
>Greene - Say, that shotgun I bought
>of yon blew into 10,000 pieces the first
>time I fired it off. I don't see how I ever
>got off alive.
>Gunsel - Oh, yes; I forgot to tell you.
>You have heard of those new disappear-
>ing guns the government is getting?
>Well, that was one of them. - Indianapolis
>Journal."
>
>
>
>