noun General Slang

Palone

/pəˈləʊni/ · noun · slang

Polari for a woman or girl — likely from Italian 'paglione' or a Romance root.

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Definitions

1

Used affectionately or descriptively for any woman in the scene.

“That palone could zhoosh a riah like nobody else.”
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2

In Polari, a woman or young woman. Its origin is debated; it may come from Italian 'paglione' (straw mattress) or another Romance source, and the exact derivation is uncertain.

“A bona palone served us our bevvies.”
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3

Half of 'omi-palone' (gay man, man-woman) and 'palone-omi' (a lesbian, woman-man), showing how Polari coded queer identities.

“She's a palone-omi and proud of it.”
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Palone In A Sentence

The palone behind the counter clocked us straight away and just smiled.
Two palones trolled past, dolly as you like.
He called every woman he met 'a bona palone'.

Origin & Usage

Polari/Parlyaree of 19th- and 20th-century Britain; 'palone' is of uncertain origin, possibly Italian 'paglione' or a related Romance word, a derivation Paul Baker flags as disputed.

Variants polonepaloneypalony
Tags #polari#lgbtq#british#heritage#vintage#lexicon

People Also Ask

What does palone mean?

It is Polari for a woman or girl.

Where does palone come from?

Its origin is uncertain; one suggestion is Italian 'paglione', but scholars treat the derivation as unconfirmed.

What is a palone-omi?

Literally 'woman-man', it was Polari for a lesbian, mirroring 'omi-palone' for a gay man.

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