General
palone-omi
What does palone-omi mean?
A lesbian, in the old coded language of British gay men. It's the word order flipped from 'omi-palone' (an effeminate or gay man): here 'palone' (woman) comes first, 'omi' (man) second — a woman with masculine qualities. Polari built whole identities out of two stock words and a switch of order, which tells you everything about how economical and sly the language was.
"She clocked the two palone-omis at the bar before they'd even ordered."
Origin
Polari, the secret cant of British gay men and theatre folk from roughly the 1930s–70s. Built from a stew of Italian, Lingua Franca, backslang, rhyming slang and thieves' cant. 'Palone' (woman) and 'omi' (man) recombine to label sexuality through gendered word order.
Frequently asked questions
What does palone-omi mean?
It's a Polari word for a lesbian, literally translating as 'woman-man.'
How do you use palone-omi in a sentence?
In Polari it labels a lesbian, combining 'palone' (woman) and 'omi' (man).
Where does palone-omi come from?
It's from Polari, the secret slang once used by gay men and theatre folk in Britain; 'palone' means woman and 'omi' means man.
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