How 1920s personal ads signaled what could not be said outright.
Words that, in some 1920s personal ads, could signal a gay or lesbian writer to readers who recognized them.
| Type | Historical language |
|---|---|
| Category | Coded language |
| Most common | 1910s to the 1920s |
The Link, a British magazine founded in 1915 as a social medium for lonely people, carried ads from men describing themselves as artistic, musical, bohemian or broad-minded, or asking for correspondence with their own sex. Women used words like jolly, sporty and bachelor girl. Because these were ordinary descriptions, they could also work as signals to readers who recognized them. The magazine later drew a police investigation.
Sources: UK National Archives, Queer classified adverts and love letters in the 1920s; UK National Archives, Bohemian, broad-minded, unconventional.
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How this fits into 170 years of personal ad shorthand: From Object Matrimony to LTR: How Personal Ads Learned to Talk in Code.
All dictionary entries · The Personals Archive · How to write a personal ad
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