Can a dead man play bridge?
Now also available in audiobook form from: https://bit.ly/GinaCheyne
When the SeeMs Agency detectives play bridge online in 2020, they don’t expect their opponent to die during the game and yet a post-mortem the next day proves Brian Deliverer was dead halfway through the night.
Employed by Brian’s daughter Karen to investigate his death, the team are led back to a notorious 1920s murder and to a missing teenager from a Sussex village in the 1960s.
Should they tell his daughter the terrible truth behind her father’s death even if it costs her everything?
2020, Miranda, Cat and Stephy are employed to find out who killed her brother and why.
Glossary:
There is some Polari used in this book and although most of it is used in a context that should make it understandable, I have also compiled a glossary of terms. It is notable how many terms there were for policeman/policewoman/police station etc. There are also many different terms for body parts both male and female. A lot of Polari was applied with irony, such as That’s Your Actual French as a put down for those trying to appear sophisticated.
Almond rocks socks
Aspro, aspra prostitute
Aunt nell 1. Listen. 2. Ear
Aunt nelly fakes earrings
Auntie older gay man
Barnet hair
Barney fight
Beak a judge
Betty bracelets the police
Bevvy 1. A drink 2. A public house
Bevvy omee a drunkard
Bins spectacles
Bona good
Bona rack a gay club with a good reputation
Bona vardering looking good
Butch masculine (sometimes referring to women)
Cabouche car
Camp funny, flamboyant
Camp name an opposite-sex name given to a Polari speaker usually given to reflect an aspect of their personality, appearance or identity
Cark it to die
Corybungus bottom
Cottage public lavatory or urinal
Cottaging sex in public lavatories or hanging around there for sex
Diddle gin
Diddle cove barman or dispenser of gin
Dilly Piccadilly
Dilly boy rent boy or male prostitute
Dizzy scatter-brained
Dog and bone telephone
Dowry a lot. The word can be used to upgrade any adjective
Drag principally to wear clothes from the opposite sex but also the clothes themselves and can refer to a state of being
Ecaf, eek face
Fabulosa wonderful
Fake riah a wig
Farting crackers trousers
Fashioned riah wig
Full eke wearing make-up
Gloria God
Got your number 1. Sussed you out 2. To identify someone as gay
Hearing cheat ear
Hilda handcuffs the police
Jennifer justice the police
Jubes breasts
Lady a gay man
Lallie leg
Lappers hands
Letties lodgings
Lily law the police
Lily pad police station
Mais oui of course, see also your actual French
Matlock mender a dentist
Matlocks teeth
Metzers money
Meshingener crazy
Metties wealth
Minces eyes
Molly gay man
Nada none
Nada in the vada nothing to see
Nanti dinarly no money
Nanti polari don’t speak
Nawks bosom
Nelly feminine gay man
Nochy night
Ogale/ogle eyes
Ogale fakes/ogle fakes spectacles
Ogle filters sunglasses
Ogle riah/ogle riders eyelashes/eyebrows
Ogle riah fakes false eyelashes
Omee-palone/homee-palone a gay man
Omee/omi a man
Onk nose
Opals eyes
Orderly to leave or go
Orderly daughters the police
Palone-omee a lesbian
Palone a woman or girl
Parker to pay
Parkering ninty wages
Plates feet ie plates of meat
Polari the gay language
Polari lobes ears
Polari pipe a telephone
Queer ken prison
Quongs testicles
Rattling cove a taxi
Real girl a biological female
Rent boy/renter male prostitute
Riah hair
Riah shusher hair dresser
Rough trade masculine, working-class partner
Savvy to know
Savvy? Do you understand
Scharda what a pity
Setter seven
Sharp/sharper 1. To steal. 2. A policeman
Sharping-omee a policeman
She he, she, they, it
Sheesh affected
Shush to steal
Shush bag swag bag
Tat rubbish
Tea leaf thief
That’s your actual French phrase used to highlight that speak was trying to appear sophisticated by speaking French
Thumping cheat heart
Tober omee 1.rent collector 2. Landlord
Tober showmen travelling musicians
Treash term of endearment
Tres sheeshwahz very chic
Trundling cheat car
Vada/varda/varder to look
Vaf look at that wonderful thing
Vogue a cigarette or to light a cigarette
Vonka nose
Wallop to dance
Willets breasts
Winkle small penis
Wonga money from questionable sources
Yews eyes
Your actual intensifying phrase. For example, your actual Australia
Zelda 1. A woman 2. A witch
Zhoosh 1. Clothing 2. Trim or ornament
Zhooshy showy as in Zhooshy tart (showing off woman)
