As Polari was spoken by travelling showpeople and other entertainers, it is not surprising that Polari contains a number of terms specific to the entertainment industry. In this lesson, 8 terms in Polari which are relevant to circuses and entertainment more broadly speaking will be taught alongside example sentences. Be sure to refer to the key vocabulary section so that you are able to understand the example sentences.
Bosh Fiddle
She would fake the bosh in the square for hours on end.
Chant To Sing
The voches at the chanting-crib were multi bona.
Flatties and Gillies Ladies and Gentlemen
Flatties and gillies, welcome to Signor Salamander’s premier show.
Tober Fairground
The tober was full of clowns.
Nob Collect Money
He went around nobbing the flatties and gillies in the audience.
Mummer Actor
The mummer remembered nada of what he had to palaver.
Slang Performance
The slang-cove was a stretcher-case.
Striller Instrument
It was an orchestra with every striller you could ever savvy.
Key Vocabulary
fake the bosh: play the fiddle
voches: singers
chanting-crib: a tavern where singing is the main form of entertainment.
multi bona: very good
Signor Salamander: a performance name but also could translate to ‘Mr. Fire-Eater’.
nada: nothing
palaver: say
slang-cove: performer
stretcher-case: exhausted
savvy: know
This is the last lesson in a series of 10 lessons contained on this website. If you haven’t seen the previous 9 lessons, feel free to access them as they provide a variety of useful vocabulary. If you have done the previous 9 lessons, good job on making your way through it! Hopefully, you will have gained a greater understanding of Polari and maybe even started using it yourself.
As always, you can test your knowledge of circus and entertainment terms in Polari using the video below.
Boyno Polari 