QUEER WORD
Queer Slang From The Victorian Era...

Those Victorians sure knew how to come up with snappy book titles!

How does this one grab you?

The Sins of the Cities of the Plain; or, The Recollections of a Mary-Ann, with Short Essays on Sodomy and Tribadism

As well as having a, frankly, difficult-to-follow title, this book is notable for being one of the first examples of pornographic homosexual literature published in English.

First released in 1881, the book is surrounded in mystery...

Not surprisingly, the author of the book chose to remain anonymous, and so we'll likely never know the true story behind the book.

However, it's been theorised that it is based on the life of Jack Saul, or Dublin Jack, a male prostitute known for being involved in a “homosexual scandal” at the Dublin Castle (Dublin Castle was the seat of the British government's administration in Ireland until Irish independence in 1922, and the scandal, although there is no evidence, was that "homosexual orgies" took place amongst staff).

Other names thrown around as the possible author are that of the pornographer James Campbell Reddie and the painter Simeon Solomon.

But, that's not what we're here to discuss today. No, today we are going to spend some time marvelling at the ridiculous Victorian slang words used throughout the book! And, if you know anything about me, you'll know that I absolutely love me some ridiculous sounding words!

Let's take a closer look at some of the passages and what they mean....

GAMAHUCHING! I have no idea how to pronounce it, but you'd better believe that I'm going to be dropping it casually into conversation over the coming week! 

(Oh, and if you haven't figured out what it means - it's a term for oral sex).

This one refers to masturbation.

It's worth noting, too, that 'frig' makes a good alternative to the other f-word when (or if) you're trying to cut back on your swearing.

This is an interesting one. You may be more familiar with the common-at-the-time term, Molly, which essentially means the same thing - an effeminate and/or homosexual man.

I'm not sure whether these terms were in use at the same time, whether one evolved from the other, or whether there is a regional distinction. But, even though they were used as slander, knowing that they existed helps prove that we existed.

Pego just sounds so sad.

Like a handstand, only... not.

Actually, in both cases all the blood rushes to the head, so maybe they're more similar than I'd initially thought...

Sounds a bit like some kind of aquatic mammal to me, but Priapus is a word that was used to describe a penis. It gets its name from the Greek god of animal and vegetable fertility (and, if you look at the picture below it'll all start to make sense).

Once you get beyond the ridiculous slang the book itself is actually kind of dark, with the premise being that Jack is recounting his experiences as a sex worker.

Still, it's a fascinating look in to gay life in Victorian London.

Oooh, and speaking of snappy titles - the sequel, published in 1883, is entitled "Letters from Laura and Eveline, Giving an Account of Their Mock-Marriage, Wedding Trip, etc. Published as an Appendix to Sins of the Cities," and gives insights in to Jack's cross-dressing persona 'Evelina'.