Origin of "flamer"?

[Scot LaFaive]

"i suspect that scot merely meant to say that he knows of "flamer" as a
*type of* gay man.  but he can speak for himself."

You have spoken well for me.

Scot


>From: "Arnold M. Zwicky" <zwicky at CSLI.STANFORD.EDU>
>Reply-To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>Subject: Re: Origin of "flamer"?
>Date: Thu, 14 Dec 2006 08:09:53 -0800
>
>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       "Arnold M. Zwicky" <zwicky at CSLI.STANFORD.EDU>
>Subject:      Re: Origin of "flamer"?
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>On Dec 14, 2006, at 7:45 AM, Larry Horn wrote:
>
> > At 9:26 AM -0600 12/14/06, Scot LaFaive wrote:
> >> I know of "flamer" as a gay man
> >
> > more accurately = overtly effeminate gay man?  As
> > far as I can tell from the sources (including
> > Bruce Rodgers's _Gay Talk_ lexicon), it didn't
> > pick up on orientation as such, at least within
> > the gay world, but on effeminacy.  I could be
> > wrong, though.
>
>in my experience, "flamer" and "flaming" pick up on effeminacy *and*
>extravagance.  there are plenty of gay men who are effeminate but not
>extravagant/flamboyant; they can even be shy and modest.  such men
>are not flamers or flaming queens.
>
>"flamer" has certainly not extended to gay men in general in the
>circles i inhabit (which include lesbians and gay men from their late
>teens through their 70s).  i suspect that scot merely meant to say
>that he knows of "flamer" as a *type of* gay man.  but he can speak
>for himself.
>
>arnold
>
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>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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