queer

queer
adjective
1》 strange; odd.
    ↘Brit. informal, dated slightly ill.
2》 informal, derogatory (of a man) homosexual.
noun informal, derogatory a homosexual man.
verb informal spoil or ruin.
Phrases
in Queer Street Brit. informal, dated in difficulty or debt.
queer someone's pitch Brit. spoil someone's plans or chances of doing something.
Derivatives
queerish adjective
queerly adverb
queerness noun
Origin
C16: considered to be from Ger. quer 'oblique, perverse', but the origin is doubtful.
Usage
The word queer was first used to mean ‘homosexual’ in the early 20th century: it was originally, and usually still is, a deliberately derogatory term when used by heterosexual people. In recent years, however, gay people have taken the word queer and deliberately used it in place of gay or homosexual, in an attempt, by using the word positively, to deprive it of its negative power.

English new terms dictionary. 2014.

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  • Queer — [ kwɪə(ɹ)] ist ein Fremdwort aus der englischen Sprache und bezeichnet als Adjektiv Dinge, Handlungen oder Personen, die von der Norm abweichen. Ursprünglich drückte es meist eine negative Einstellung zu der Abweichung oder dem Abweichler aus… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Queer — has traditionally meant odd or unusual, but is now also used to refer to anyone who is not heteronormative. Its use in reference to LGBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex) communities as well as those perceived to be members of those …   Wikipedia

  • queer´ly — queer «kwihr», adjective, noun, verb. –adj. 1. not usual or normal; strange; odd; peculiar: »a queer way to repay a favor. That was a queer remark for her to make. The old three cornered hat, And the breeches, and all that, Are so queer! (Oliver… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Queer — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda La palabra queer tradicionalmente ha significado en inglés ([kʷɪɚ(ɹ)]) extraño o poco usual, pero su utilización en referencia a la comunidad LGBT y los miembros que se percibe que pertenecen a ésta ha modificado la… …   Wikipedia Español

  • queer — queer; queer·ish; queer·i·ty; queer·ly; queer·ness; queer·ish·ly; queer·ish·ness; …   English syllables

  • queer — ► ADJECTIVE 1) strange; odd. 2) informal, derogatory (of a man) homosexual. 3) Brit. informal, dated slightly ill. ► NOUN informal, derogatory ▪ a homosexual man. ► VERB informal ▪ spoil or ruin …   English terms dictionary

  • Queer — (kw[=e]r), a. [Compar. {Queerer} (kw[=e]r [ e]r); superl. {Queerest}.] [G. quer cross, oblique, athwart (cf. querkopf a queer fellow), {OHG}. twer, twerh, dwerah; akin to D. dvars, AS, [thorn]weorh thwart, bent, twisted, Icel. [thorn]verr thwart …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Queer — Queer, n. 1. Counterfeit money. [Slang] [1913 Webster] 2. a homosexual. [disparaging and offensive] [PJC] {To shove the queer}, to put counterfeit money in circulation. [Slang] [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Queer — (kw[=e]r), v. t. [From {Queer}, a.] 1. To puzzle. [Prov. Eng. or Slang] [Webster 1913 Suppl.] 2. To ridicule; to banter; to rally. [Slang] [Webster 1913 Suppl.] 3. To spoil the effect or success of, as by ridicule; to throw a wet blanket on; to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • queer — The word was first used as an adjective and noun meaning ‘homosexual’ in the 1920s. Although it is still generally regarded as derogatory or offensive when used by heterosexual people, it has been adopted in recent years by homosexuals referring… …   Modern English usage

  • queer — [adj1] odd; abnormal anomalous, atypical, bizarre, crazy, curious, demented, disquieting, doubtful, droll, dubious, eccentric, eerie, erratic, extraordinary, fishy*, flaky*, fly ball*, freaky*, funny, idiosyncratic, irrational, irregular, kinky* …   New thesaurus

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