Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2023 May 21

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May 21

Abandoned

The traditional meaning of "gay" is now a lifeless corpse, never to be revived. It is used three times in the article The Beaux' Stratagem and we of an earlier generation understand its intent perfectly, but is there a single word substitute that captures its meaning? Doug butler (talk) 02:23, 21 May 2023 (UTC)

Note that it was used for promiscuity for hundreds of years.[1] That link has some synonyms for what you're calling the traditional meaning: full of joy, merry, light-hearted, carefree. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:12, 21 May 2023 (UTC)

In the specific context of that article, may I suggest 'carefree'? Shells-shells (talk) 03:18, 21 May 2023 (UTC)

… which I see is one of the synonyms given above. Although, thinking about it some more, it does not really capture the somewhat transgressive, rakish connotations of the word 'gay'. Shells-shells (talk) 03:22, 21 May 2023 (UTC)

That would be the other set of synonyms: wanton, lewd, lascivious. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:32, 21 May 2023 (UTC)

The first "gay" is superfluous ("gay London friends"), the second could be replaced with "lively" or "wanton", depending on the degree of debauchery of the life lived in London is supposed to be, and the third is in quotes, so sacrosanct. Clarityfiend (talk) 13:57, 21 May 2023 (UTC)

"Lively" is better; these are characters that may have inhabited a P. G. Wodehouse novel - golden boys and girls.

Resolved

Doug butler (talk) 23:59, 21 May 2023 (UTC)