gayola

English

noun
Definitions
  • (chiefly) The practice of American police departments extorting bribes from gay bars, especially in the 1950s and 60s, in return for not raiding them; such a bribe.

Etymology

Affix from English gay (homosexual).

Origin

English

gay

Gloss

homosexual

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms