NELLIE or NELLY

[Jesse Sheidlower]

On Mon, Jul 11, 2005 at 08:28:34AM -0400, RonButters at AOL.COM wrote:
> A gay male friend (age 50) recently used the word NELLY/NELLIE to describe
> his windowboxes; I understood this to mean 'effeminate', but I also had several
> years ago formed the opinion that this is a somewhat archaic term.
>
> 1. How well known is this term outside gay circles?
> 2. Is it still in use by gay men under the age of 50?

The recent sources I have for this are chiefly in homosexual use,
which would suggest that it is still in use by younger gay men
and perhaps that it's not widely known outside.

The existence of a popular rap performer with the stage name
"Nelly" (birth name Cornell Haynes, Jr.) regularly brings a
smile to my face; I'd assume that this choice of name (he is
strongly heterosexual, at least if his lyrics are to be
believed) could not be made if _nelly_ 'effeminate' were widely
known. One couldn't image a straight rapper named "Swishy",
for example.

Jesse Sheidlower
OED