verb General Slang

Vada

/ˈvɑːdə/ · verb · slang

Polari for to look at or to see — the verb of the discreet, knowing glance.

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Definitions

1

In Polari, to look at, see or check out, often with a flirtatious or appraising edge. Usually derived from Italian 'vedere' (to see) via Parlyaree, the older showmen's lingo.

“Vada the dish on that omi by the bar.”
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2

Figuratively, to size someone up or read a situation discreetly, vital when discovery could mean arrest.

“I vada'd him a long time before I dared say a word.”
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3

Used as an imperative to draw a friend's attention to someone or something worth noticing — a coded 'get a load of that'.

“Vada, dear — charpering omi at three o'clock.”
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Vada In A Sentence

Come and vada my new lattie, it's fantabulosa.
She vada'd the room, clocked the trade and gave the slightest nod.
Don't make it obvious — just vada him over your vogue.

Origin & Usage

Polari/Parlyaree of 19th- and 20th-century travelling players and the gay subculture; 'vada' (also varda) derives from Italian 'vedere' / Lingua Franca, per Paul Baker's research on Polari.

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

People Also Ask

What does vada mean?

It is the Polari verb for looking or seeing, as in 'bona to vada you' — good to see you.

Where did vada come from?

It comes from Italian 'vedere' (to see) through Parlyaree, the showmen's slang that fed into Polari.

How is vada used in a sentence?

Often as a nudge, 'vada that one over there', or in greeting, 'bona to vada your dolly old eek'.

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