This is so gay!

This is so gay! This is so gay! This is so gay! By Maeve Maddox I recently received a comment on one of my posts that said, This is gay. As the comment made no sense in the context, I was puzzled. For those fogies like me who hadnt realized that the word gay has morphed again, heres a timeline of its changing meanings as illustrated in the OED. gay: adj. c1325 Noble; beautiful; excellent, fine. Example: Heo is†¦ graciouse, stout, ant gay, gentil, iolyf so à ¾e iay Translation: She is precious by day, gracious, splendid and excellent, gentle, jolly as a bird. (stout, meant stately, magnificent, splendid; iay refers to the European jay) c1380 Bright or lively-looking, esp. in colour; brilliant, showy. Example: Oppon à ¾e tour..à ¾ar stondeà ¾ a iuwel gay, An egle of gold à ¾at schynaà ¾ brigt so doà ¾ à ¾e sonne on may. Translation: Upon the towerthere stands a brilliant jewel, An eagle of gold that shines as does the sun in May. c1385 Of persons, their attributes, actions, etc.: light-hearted, carefree; manifesting, characterized by, or disposed to joy and mirth; exuberantly cheerful, merry; sportive. Example: A lay Of love..made hire herte fressh and gay. Translation: A story about lovemade her heart fresh and merry. 1597 Originally of persons and later also more widely: dedicated to social pleasures; dissolute, promiscuous; frivolous, hedonistic. Also (esp. in to go gay): uninhibited; wild, crazy; flamboyant. Example: Sum gay professors (kepinge secret minions) do love there wyues..to avoyde shame Translation: Some homosexual professors (keeping secret catamites) do love their wivesto avoid shame. 1922-2003  orig. U.S. slang. (a) Of a person: homosexual; (b) (of a place, milieu, way of life, etc.) of or relating to homosexuals. Examples: 1941 Gay, an adjective used almost exclusively by homosexuals to denote homosexuality†¦2003 Episcopalians took a big step toward electing their first openly gay bishop. 1978 slang (chiefly U.S.) (sometimes considered offensive). Foolish, stupid, socially inappropriate or disapproved of; ‘lame’. Examples: 1978 ‘It looks terrific on you.’ ‘It looks gay.’ 1987 Your so-stupid-theyre-funny captions are gay. Get into some [real] humor. These six definitions with their examples only scratch the surface of all the meanings that have been attached to the word gay since it entered the language from Anglo-Norman gai/gaye, and provide an excellent case study of the arbitrariness of language. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Useful Stock Phrases for Your Business Emails5 Lessons for Mixing Past and Present TenseJanuary 1 Doesn't Need an "st"