http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/gay
Gay woman = prostitute, gay man = womaniser, gay house = brothel.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/gay from your own source
Word Origin & History
gay
1178, "full of joy or mirth," from O.Fr. gai "gay, merry" (12c.); cf. O.Sp. gayo, Port. gaio, It. gajo. Ultimate origin disputed; perhaps from Frank. *gahi (cf. O.H.G. wahi "pretty"), though not all etymologists accept this. Meaning "brilliant, showy" is from c.1300. OED gives 1951 as earliest date for
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slang meaning "homosexual" (adj.), but this is certainly too late; gey cat "homosexual boy" is attested in N. Erskine's 1933 dictionary of "Underworld & Prison Slang;" the term gey cat (gey is a Scot. variant of gay) was used as far back as 1893 in Amer.Eng. for "young hobo," one who is new on the road and usually in the company of an older tramp, with catamite connotations. But Josiah Flynt ["Tramping With Tramps," 1905] defines gay cat as, "An amateur tramp who works when his begging courage fails him." Gey cats also were said to be tramps who offered sexual services to women. The "Dictionary of American Slang" reports that gay (adj.) was used by homosexuals, among themselves, in this sense since at least 1920. Rawson ["Wicked Words"] notes a male prostitute using gay in reference to male homosexuals (but also to female prostitutes) in London's notorious Cleveland Street Scandal of 1889. Ayto ["20th Century Words"] calls attention to the ambiguous use of the word in the 1868 song "The Gay Young Clerk in the Dry Goods Store," by U.S. female impersonator Will S. Hays. The word gay in the 1890s had an overall tinge of promiscuity -- a gay house was a brothel. The suggestion of immorality in the word can be traced back to 1637. Gay as a noun meaning "a (usually male) homosexual" is attested from 1971.
All those numbers are dates. The first one: 1178, "full of joy or mirth,".... You're digging through obscure slang that was hardly in widespread use. No dude, gay originally meant happy and that was its widespread use.
It gives 7 definitions and those aren't listed as any of them.... Obscure old timey slang does not meaning make....
gay
/geɪ/ Show Spelled [gey] Show IPA adjective, -er, -est, noun, adverb
adjective
1.
homosexual.
2.
of, indicating, or supporting homosexual interests or issues: a gay organization.
3.
having or showing a merry, lively mood: gay spirits; gay music.
4.
bright or showy: gay colors; gay ornaments.
5.
given to or abounding in social or other pleasures: a gay social season.
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6.
licentious; dissipated; wanton: The baron is a gay old rogue with an eye for the ladies.
7.
Slang: Often Disparaging and Offensive . awkward, stupid, or bad: This game is really gay.
You're totally proving my case for me:
gay
[gey] Origin
Synonyms
3. gleeful, jovial, glad, joyous, happy, cheerful, sprightly, blithe, airy, light-hearted; vivacious, frolicsome, sportive, hilarious. Gay, jolly, joyful, merry describe a happy or light-hearted mood. Gay suggests a lightness of heart or liveliness of mood that is openly manifested: when hearts were young and gay. Jolly indicates a good-humored, natural, expansive gaiety of mood or disposition: a jolly crowd at a party. Joyful suggests gladness, happiness, rejoicing: joyful over the good news. Merry is often interchangeable with gay : a merry disposition; a merry party; it suggests, even more than the latter, convivial animated enjoyment. 4. brilliant.
Antonyms
3. unhappy, mournful.
Even so, are you actually defending the derogatory use?
Author
Topic: Things that made you sad today thread. (Read 9443777 times)