The evolution of the word "Gay".

It's now very much used in it's third incarnation, describing someone affectionately as a bottler.

Earlier i was (mildly ) berated for using it in that form, by a gay friend. He's most adamant it will always mean homosexual. I say it's meaning has moved on again, so has dress sense.

Who's right ?

What is a bottler?

Never heard that one before.... Either as having dress sense or as homeosexual

Had a look on 'Urban Dictionary', though it seems that any word can be given any meaning just by virtue of the act of typing it in!

Chambers Online isn't much help:

bottler noun 1 a person or machine that bottles. 2 Austral colloq an excellent person or thing • a bottler of a game.

Where did the OP hear it in its first and second incarnation?

It seems to have shifted meaning to a point, whilst not losing its earlier nuances.

Gay=Happy, bright, full of life.

Gay=Homosexual

Gay=Naff. 'It's a bit gay isn't it?'

Or something like that.

I broadly agree with the above post. For much of the 90s it was widely used by schoolchildren and young adults as a casual, throwaway pejorative for almost any item/action they didn't like, as in 'Oh that's so gay'. They would insist if challenged (as we had to) that it meant nothing homophobic and to them, I do not think it did.

I have a book published in the 1950s about how to be a good wife and mother and it dedicates a whole chapter to creating your own gay furnishings. Gay rugs, gay lampshades, gay pelmets - the possibilities are endless.

Not yet heard it in connection with dress sense, though.

Re: Dress sense, i threw that in there as an example of other things that have moved on, and left him behind. Sorry for the confusion.

This surfaced at the end of 2013 and may be of interest to you:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/24/using-gay-mean-crap-bullying-gap-people

This surfaced at the end of 2013 and may be of interest to you:

 

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/24/using-gay-mean-crap-bullying-gap-people

Decent article, though i disagree with the gist of it.

Like it or not the word has evolved again and will continue to be used in that way. As pointed out (in the article) there are many words around that have double meanings, and i don't think we should try and ban certain meanings, or berate those that use the word in it's latest context.

I'm certainly not homophobic, but i do sometimes use the word in it's new context.

Decent article, though i disagree with the gist of it.

OK, the gist of it maybe you disagree with it, what about if I were to take just this one little bit:

"It is a problem, however, for those of us – a whole swath of society – who are actually gay, and for whom the word forms an important part of our identity and sense of self. It might not be obvious to those who aren't. But the casual, insulting use of the word, in schools and elsewhere, hurts us. In fact, it seeps into the subconscious. It fuels people's perception of gay people as wrong or bad.

If a young person, growing up gay, constantly hears the word being used to refer to something that's disliked, useless or stupid, they are quite naturally going to feel that reflects on them. They are going to feel disliked, useless and stupid."

Do you agree with that? Because I think it's pretty hard to refute.

OK, the gist of it maybe you disagree with it, what about if I were to take just this one little bit:

 

"It is a problem, however, for those of us – a whole swath of society – who are actually gay, and for whom the word forms an important part of our identity and sense of self. It might not be obvious to those who aren't. But the casual, insulting use of the word, in schools and elsewhere, hurts us. In fact, it seeps into the subconscious. It fuels people's perception of gay people as wrong or bad.

 

If a young person, growing up gay, constantly hears the word being used to refer to something that's disliked, useless or stupid, they are quite naturally going to feel that reflects on them. They are going to feel disliked, useless and stupid."

 

Do you agree with that? Because I think it's pretty hard to refute.

No, i don't agree.

I don't believe a word can be claimed by anyone or any group. Words evolve, as this one already had from it's previous meaning of jolly/happy to become a term for someone attracted to the same sex, it's simply moved on again.