A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

Gallic --- 1672, from L. Gallicus "pertaining to Gaul or the Gauls," from L. Gallia "Gaul" and Gallus "a Gaul" from a native Celtic name (see Gaelic), though some connect the word with prehistoric W.Gmc. *walkhoz "foreigners" (see Welsh). Originally used in Eng. rhetorically or mockingly for "French." Gallicism "French word or idiom" is from 1656.

gallimaufry --- a medley, 1551, from Fr. galimafrée "hash, ragout," origin unknown, perhaps from O.Fr. galer "to make merry, live well" + O.N.Fr. mafrer "to eat much," from M.Du. maffelen. Others see the proper name Maufré.

gallivant --- 1819, probably a playful elaboration of gallant in an obsolete verbal sense of "play the gallant, flirt, gad about."

gallon --- c.1300, from O.N.Fr. galon, corresponding to O.Fr. jalon "liquid measure," related to M.L. dim. form galleta "bucket, pail," also "a measure of wine," perhaps from Gaul. galla "vessel."

gallop --- 1523, from M.Fr. galoper, from O.Fr. galop (11c.), cognate of O.N.Fr. waloper, from Frank. *wala hlaupan "to run well" (see wallop).

Galloway --- district in southwestern Scotland, M.L. Gallovidia, from Welsh Gallwyddel, Ir. Gallgaidhil, lit. "foreign Gaels."

gallows --- c.1230, pl. of M.E. galwe "gallows," from O.N. galgi, or from O.E. galga (Mercian), gealga (W. Saxon); all from P.Gmc. *galg- "pole" (cf. O.Fris. galga, M.H.G. galge "gallows, cross"), perhaps cognate with Lith. zalga "pole, perch," Armenian dzalk "pole." Originally also used of the cross of the crucifixion. Plural because made of two poles.

Gallup poll --- 1940, from George H. Gallup (1901-84), U.S. journalist and statistician, who in 1935 set up the American Institute of Public Opinion.

galoot --- awkward or boorish man, 1812, nautical, "raw recruit, green hand," originally a sailor's contemptuous word for soldiers or marines, of uncertain origin. "Dictionary of American Slang" proposes galut, Sierra Leone creole form of Sp. galeoto "galley slave." Perhaps rather Du. slang kloot "testicle," klootzak "scrotum," used figuratively as an insult.

galore --- 1675, from Ir. go leór, corresponding to Gael. gu leóir "sufficiently, enough."

galoshes --- 1306, probably from O.Fr. galoche, from L.L. gallicula, dim. of gallica (solea) "a Gallic (sandal)." Alternate etymology is from V.L. *galopia, from Gk. kalopodion, dim. of kalopous "shoemaker's last," from kalon "wood" + pous "foot" (see foot).

galumph --- to prance about in a self-satisfied manner, 1872, coined by Lewis Carroll in "Jabberwocky," apparently by blending gallop and triumph.

galvanize --- 1802 (galvanism dates to 1797), from Fr. galvaniser, from galvanisme "electricity produced by chemical action," formed from name of It. physicist Luigi Galvani (1737-98) who discovered it while running currents through the legs of dead frogs. Figurative sense of "excite, stimulate (as if by electricity)" first recorded 1853. Meaning "to coat with metal by means of galvanic electricity" (especially to plate iron with tin, but now typically to plate it with zinc) is from 1839. "He'll swear that in her dancing she cuts all others out, Though like a Gal that's galvanized, she throws her legs about." [Thomas Hood, "Love has not Eyes," 1845]

gambit --- chess opening in which a pawn is risked for advantage later, 1656, gambett, from It. gambetto, lit. "a tripping up" (as a trick in wrestling), from gamba "leg," from L.L. gamba (see gambol). Applied to chess openings in Sp. in 1561 by Ruy Lopez, who traced it to the It. word, but the form in Sp. was generally gambito which led to Fr. gambit, which has infl. the Eng. spelling of the word. Broader sense of "opening move meant to gain advantage" is first recorded in Eng. 1855.

gamble (v.) --- 1726 (implied in gambling), from a dialectal survival of M.E. gammlen, variant of gamenen "to play, jest, be merry," from O.E. gamenian "to play," from gamen (see game). Or possibly gamble is from a derivative of gamel "to play games" (1594), itself likely a frequentative from game. Originally regarded as a slang word. The intrusive -b- may be from confusion with gambol.

gambol (n.) --- 1513, originally gambolde "a leap or spring," from M.Fr. gambade, from L.L. gamba "horse's hock or leg," from Gk. kampe "bend." The verb is first attested 1508.

gambrel --- hipped roof, 1851, short for gambrel roof, so called for its shape, from gambrel "horse's hind leg," earlier (1547) "wooden bar to hang carcasses," from O.N.Fr. gamberel, from gambe "leg," from L.L. gamba (see gambol).

game (adj.) --- lame, 1787, from north Midlands dialect, perhaps a variant of gammy (tramps' slang) "bad," or from O.N.Fr. gambe "leg."

game (n.) --- O.E. gamen "joy, fun, amusement," common Gmc. (cf. O.Fris. game, O.N. gaman, O.H.G. gaman "joy, glee"), regarded as identical with Goth. gaman "participation, communion," from P.Gmc. *ga- collective prefix + *mann "person," giving a sense of "people together." Meaning "contest played according to rules" is first attested c.1300. Sense of "wild animals caught for sport" is c.1290; hence fair game (1825), also gamey "having the flavor of game" (1863). Adjective sense of "brave, spirited" is 1725, from the noun, especially in game-cock "bird for fighting." Game plan is 1941, from U.S. football; game show first attested 1961.

gamelan --- East Indian orchestra, 1817, from Javanese gamel "to handle."

gamete --- sexual protoplasmic body, 1886, name introduced in Mod.L. by Austrian biologist Gregor Mendel (1822-84), from Gk. gamete "a wife," gametes "a husband," from gamein "to take to wife, to marry," from PIE base *gem(e)- "to marry" (cf. Gk. gambros "son-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law;" Skt. jamih "brother, sister," jama daughter-in-law;" Avestan zama-tar "son-in-law;" L. gener "son-in-law"). This also is the source of the suffix in monogamy, etc. The seventh month of the ancient Attic calendar (corresponding to late January and early February) was Gamelion, "Month of Marriages."

gamma --- third letter of the Greek alphabet, c.1400, from Gk. gamma, from Phoenician gimel, lit. "camel." Gamma rays (1903) were originally thought to be a third type of radiation, now known to be identical with very short X-rays.

gammer --- old woman, 1575, contraction of grandmother (see gaffer).

gammon --- 1486, from O.N.Fr. gambon "ham," from gambe "leg," from L.L. gamba "leg of an animal." Originally "the ham or haunch of a swine."

gams --- legs, 1781, ult. from M.E. gamb "leg," from O.N.Fr. (see gammon). Now, in Amer.Eng. slang, especially of pretty women, but this was not the original sense.

gamut --- 1530, originally, "lowest note in the medieval musical scale," in the system of notation devised by Guido d'Arezzo, contraction of M.L. gamma ut, from gamma, the Gk. letter, indicating a note below A + ut (later do), the low note on the six-note musical scale that took names from corresponding syllables in a L. hymn for St. John the Baptist's Day: "Ut queant laxis resonare fibris Mira gestorum famuli tuorum Solve polluti labii reatum," etc. Gamut came to be used for "the whole musical scale" by 1529; the figurative sense of "entire scale or range" of anything is first recorded 1626.

gander --- O.E. gandra "male goose," from P.Gmc. *gan(d)ron- (cf. Du. gander, M.L.G. ganre), perhaps originally the name of some other water fowl (cf. Lith. gandras "stork"). The slang sense of "take a long look" is first recorded 1887, from the notion of craning one's neck like a goose.

gandy dancer --- railroad maintenance worker, 1923, Amer.Eng. slang, of unknown origin; dancer perhaps from movements required in the work, gandy perhaps from using tools from the Gandy Manufacturing Co. of Chicago, U.S.A.

gang --- O.E. gong "a going, journey, way, passage," and O.N. gangr "a group of men, a set," both from P.Gmc. *gangaz (noun of action related to *gangan "to go"), from PIE base *ghengh- "to step" (cf. Skt. jangha "shank," Avestan zanga- "ankle," Lith. zengiu "I stride"). The sense evolution is probably via meaning "a set of articles that are usually taken together in going," especially a set of tools used on the same job. By 1627 this had been extended in nautical speech to mean "a company of workmen," and by 1632 the word was being used, with disapproving overtones, for "any band of persons traveling together." Gangway is O.E. gangweg "road, passage," and preserves the original sense of the word, as does gangplank (1846, Amer.Eng., replacing earlier gang-board). To gang up (on) is first attested 1925. To come on like gangbusters (c.1940) is from radio drama "Gangbusters" (1937-57) which always opened with a cacophony of sirens, screams, shots, and jarring music. Gang of Four (1976) translates Chinese sirenbang, the nickname given to the four leaders of the Cultural Revolution who took the fall in Communist China after the death of Mao.

gang-bang --- 1953, "group sex" (especially many men on one woman or girl, regardless of consent), from gang (q.v.) + bang with slang meaning "do the sex act." Earlier was gang-shag (1927). Sense of "participate in a street-gang" is from 1960s.

ganglion --- 1681, from Gk. ganglion "tumor," used by Galen for "nerve bundle." Of unknown origin; according to Galen, the proper sense of the word was "anything gathered into a ball."

gangrene --- 1543, from L. gangræna, from Gk. gangraina "an eating or gnawing sore," lit. "that which eats away," reduplicated form of gran- "to gnaw," from PIE base *gras-.

gangster --- 1896, Amer.Eng., from gang (q.v.) in its criminal sense. Gangland is from 1912. Gangsta rap style is generally credited to West Philly hip hop artist Schoolly D, but his "Gangster Boogie" (1984) used the conventional spelling; NWA was spelling it gangsta by 1988.

ganja --- powerful preparation of cannabis sativa, 1800, from Hind. ganjha.

gantry --- 1574, originally, "four-footed stand for a barrel," probably from O.N.Fr. gantier, from O.Fr. chantier, from L. cantherius "rafter, frame," from Gk. kanthelios "pack ass," so called from the framework placed on its back, from kanthelion "rafter," of unknown origin.

Ganymede --- Trojan youth whom Zeus made his cup-bearer, from Gk. Ganymedes, lit. "rejoicing in his virility," from ganymai "I rejoice, am glad" + medea (pl.) "counsels, plans, cunning" (see Medea). Used figuratively of serving-boys (1608) and catamites (1591).

gaol --- see jail, you tea-sodden football hooligan.

gap --- 1261, from O.N. gap "chasm," related to gapa "to gape." Originally "hole in a wall;" broader sense is 16c. In U.S., common in place names in ref. to a break or pass in a long mountain chain (especially one that water flows through).

gape --- c.1220, from O.N. gapa "to open the mouth, gape," common W.Gmc. (cf. M.Du. gapen, Ger. gaffen), of unknown origin.

gar --- pike-like fish, 1765, Amer.Eng., shortening of garfish (c.1440), from O.E. gar "spear," from P.Gmc. *gaizo- (cf. O.N. geirr, O.H.G. ger, Ger. Ger "spear").

garage --- 1902, from Fr. garage, from verb garer "to shelter," from M.Fr. garer "to shelter, dock ships," from Frank. *waron "to guard" (cf. O.H.G. waron "take care"), from P.Gmc. *war-, from PIE base *wer- "to cover" (see warrant). Garage sale first attested 1966.

garb --- 1591, "elegance, stylishness," from M.Fr. garbe "graceful outline," from It. garbo "grace, elegance," perhaps from Gmc. (cf. O.H.G. gar(a)wi "dress, equipment, preparation;" see gear). Sense of "fashion of dress" is first attested 1622. The verb is from 1836.

garbage --- 1422, originally "giblets of a fowl, waste parts of an animal," later confused with garble in its sense of "siftings, refuse." Many M.E. cookery terms came from Anglo-Fr., so perhaps it is related to O.Fr. jarbage "a bundle of sheaves, entrails," from P.Gmc. *garba-, from PIE *ghrebh- "a handful, a grasp." Sense of "refuse" is first attested 1583. Garbology "study of waste as a social science" is from 1976.

garble --- 1419, from Anglo-Fr. garbeler "to sift," from M.L. and It. garbellare, from Arabic gharbala "to sift and select spices," related to kirbal "sieve," perhaps from L. cribellum, dim. of cribrum "sieve" (see crisis). A widespread word among Mediterranean traders; sense of "mix up, confuse, distort language" first recorded 1689.

garçon --- boy, c.1303, from O.Fr. garçun (11c.), originally objective case of gars, perhaps from Frank. *wrakjo (cf. O.H.G. recko, O.S. wrekkio "a banished person, exile;" Eng. wretch). Meaning "waiter" (especially one in a Fr. restaurant) is from 1788.

garden --- c.1300, from O.N.Fr. gardin, from V.L. hortus gardinus "enclosed garden," via Frank. *gardo, from P.Gmc. *gardon (cf. O.Fris. garda, O.H.G. garto, Ger. Garten "garden," O.E. geard "enclosure," see yard (1)). The verb is first attested in 1577. Garden variety in figurative sense first recorded 1928.

gardenia --- 1757, Mod.L., named for naturalist Dr. Alexander Garden (1730-91), Vice President of the Royal Society.

gargantuan --- 1596, from Gargantua, large-mouthed giant in Rabelais' novels, supposedly from Sp./Port. garganta "gullet, throat," which is from the same imitative root as gargle.

gargle --- 1527, from M.Fr. gargouiller "to gurgle, bubble," from O.Fr. gargouille "throat, waterspout," perhaps from garg-, imitative of throat sounds, + *goule dial. for "mouth," from L. gula "throat."

gargoyle --- grotesque carved waterspout, 1286, from O.Fr. gargouille "throat, waterspout" (see gargle).

garibaldi --- 1862, blouse worn by women in imitation of red shirts worn by followers of Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-82), liberator of Italy.

garish --- 1545, possibly from M.E. gawren "to stare," which is of unknown origin, perhaps from O.N. gaurr "rough fellow."

garland --- wreath of flowers, c.1300, from O.Fr. gerlande, perhaps from Frank. *weron "adorn, bedeck."

garlic --- O.E. garleac (Mercian), garlec (W. Saxon), from gar "spear" (in reference to the clove), see gar + leac "leek."

garment --- c.1300, from O.Fr. garnement, from garnir "fit out, provide, adorn" (see garnish).

garner --- c.1175, from O.Fr. gernier, metathesized variant of grenier "storehouse, garret," from L. granarium (see granary).

garnet --- c.1310, metathesized from O.Fr. grenat "garnet," from M.L. granatum, originally an adj., "of dark red color," probably abstracted from pomegranate (q.v.), from the stone's resemblance either to the shape of the seeds or the color of the pulp. But perhaps the word is from M.L. granum "grain," in its sense of "cochineal, red dye."

garnish --- c.1300, from O.Fr. garniss-, stem of garnir "provide, furnish, defend," from P.Gmc. *warnejan "be cautious, guard, provide for" (cf. O.E. warnian "to take warning, beware;" see warn). Sense evolution is from "arm oneself" to "fit out" to "embellish," which was the earliest meaning in Eng., though the others also were used in M.E. Culinary sense of "to decorate a dish for the table" predominated after 1693. Older meaning survives in legal sense of "warning of attachment of funds" (1585).

garret --- c.1300, "turret," from O.Fr. garite "watchtower, place of refuge," from garir "defend, preserve," from a Gmc. source (cf. Goth. warjan "forbid," O.H.G. warjan "to defend"), from P.Gmc. *warjanan, from PIE base *wer- "to cover" (see warrant). Meaning "room on uppermost floor of a house" is from 1483. See attic.

garrison --- 1297, "store, treasure," from O.Fr. garison "defense," from garir "defend" (see garret). Meaning "fortified stronghold" is from c.1430; that of "body of troops in a fortress" is from 1500.

garrote --- 1622, "Spanish method of capital punishment by strangulation," from Sp. garrote "stick for twisting cord," of unknown origin, perhaps from O.Fr. guaroc "club, stick, rod, shaft of a crossbow," probably ultimately Celtic. But possibly from Frank. *wrokkan "to twist" (cf. M.Du. wroken "to twist"). The verb meaning "to execute with a garrote" is from 1851; sense of "choking and then robbing" is from 1852. "I have no hesitation in pronouncing death by the garrot, at once the most manly, and the least offensive to the eye." [Major John Richardson, "British Legion," 1837]

garrulous --- 1611, from L. garrulus "talkative," from garrire "to chatter," from PIE base *gar-/*ger- "to cry," of imitative origin.

garter --- c.1350, from O.N.Fr. gartier "band just above or below the knee," from garet "bend of the knee," perhaps from Gaul. (cf. Welsh garr "leg"). Garter, highest order of knighthood, according to Froissart established c.1344 by Edward III, though the usual story of how it came about is late (1614) and perhaps apocryphal. Garter snake (U.S.) so called from resemblance to a ribbon. Garter belt first noticed 1959.

garth --- small piece of enclosed ground, northern and western Eng. dialect word, c.1340, from O.N. garðr "yard, courtyard, fence," cognate of O.E. geard (see yard (1)).

gas --- 1658, from Du. gas, probably from Gk. khaos "empty space" (see chaos). The sound of Du. "g" is roughly equivalent to that of Gk. "kh." First used by Flem. chemist J.B. van Helmont (1577-1644), probably influenced by Paracelsus, who used khaos in occult sense of "proper elements of spirits" or "ultra-rarified water," which was van Helmont's definition of gas. Modern scientific sense began 1779, focused on "combustible mix of vapors" (1794, originally coal gas); "anesthetic" (1894, originally nitrous oxide); and "poison gas" (1900). Meaning "intestinal vapors" is from 1882. Slang sense of "empty talk" is from 1847; slang meaning "something exciting or excellent" first attested 1953, from earlier hepster slang gasser in the same sense (1944). Gas also meant "fun, a joke" in Anglo-Irish and was used so by Joyce (1914). As short for gasoline (q.v.), it is Amer.Eng., first recorded 1905.

Gascon --- native of Gascony, 1375, from M.Fr., from V.L. *Wasco, from L. Vasco, sing. of Vascones, the name of the ancient inhabitants of the Pyrénées (see Basque). Proverbially a boastful people, hence gasconade (n.), "bragging talk," 1709, from Fr.

gash --- 1548, from M.E. garce (c.1225), from O.N.Fr. garser "to scarify, cut, slash," apparently from V.L. *charassare, from Gk. kharassein "engrave." Loss of -r- is characteristic (see bass, bust, etc.). Slang use for "vulva" dates to mid-1700s.

gasket --- 1622, caskette "small rope or plaited coil used to secure a furled sail," of uncertain origin, perhaps from Fr. garcette "little girl," dim. of garce "wench," fem. of garçon (q.v.). Sense of "packing (originally of braided hemp) to seal metal joints" first recorded 1829.

gasoline --- coined 1865 as gasolene, from gas (q.v.) + chemical suffix -ine/-ene. current spelling is 1871; shortened form gas first recorded Amer.Eng. 1905. Gas station first recorded 1932.

gasp --- 1390, gaspen, of uncertain origin, perhaps from O.N. geispa "to yawn," or its Dan. derivative gispe "gasp."

gastric --- 1656, from Gk. gaster (gen. gastros) "stomach," by dissimilation from gran "to gnaw, eat." Gastronomy (1814) coined 1800 in Fr. as gastronomie by Joseph de Berchoux (1762-1838) as title of poem on good living, after Gastrologia, title of a now-lost poem of antiquity, quoted by Athenaeus, from gastro- "stomach" + logos "discourse."

gastropod --- 1826, gasteropod, from Gk. gaster (gen. gastros) "stomach" + pous (gen. podos) "foot" (see foot). From the ventral position of the mollusk's "foot."

gat --- pistol, 1904, slang shortening of Gatling (gun); by 1880, gatlin was slang for a gun of any sort.

-gate --- suffix attached to anything to indicate "scandal involving," 1973, abstracted from Watergate, Washington, D.C., building complex, home of the National Headquarters of the Democratic Party when it was burglarized June 17, 1972.

gate --- O.E. gæt (pl. geatu) "opening, passage," from P.Gmc. *gatan (cf. O.N., O.S., O.Fris., Du. gat "an opening"), of unknown origin. Meaning "money collected from selling tickets" dates from 1896. Gate-crasher is from 1927.

gather --- O.E. gadrian, gædrian "to gather, collect, store up," related to gæd "fellowship," and god "good," from P.Gmc. *gadurojan "bring together, unite" (cf. M.L.G. gadderen, O.Fris. gaderia). Change of spelling from -d- to -th- is 1500s, reflecting earlier change in pronunciation.

Gatling gun --- 1870, named for designer Dr. Richard Jordan Gatling (1818-1903); first used in late battles of American Civil War.

gau --- an ancient Ger. territorial and administrative division, originally comprising several villages, surviving in place names such as Breisgau and Oberammergau; also in gauleiter (from leiter "leader"), title of the local political leaders under the Nazi system.

gauche --- awkward, tactless, 1751, from Fr. gauche "left" (replacing O.Fr. senestre in that sense), originally "awkward, awry," from M.Fr. gauchir "turn aside, swerve," from O.Fr. gaucher "trample, reel, walk clumsily," from Frank. *welkan "to full" (cf. O.H.G. wankon, O.N. vakka "to stagger, totter").

gaucho --- 1824, from Sp., probably from a native S.Amer. language, cf. Araucanian cauchu "wanderer."

gaudy --- 1529, from M.E. gaud "deception, trick," also "ornamental bead, rosary" (c.1300), possibly from Anglo-Fr. gaudir "be merry, scoff," from L. gaudere "rejoice." Alternate (less likely) etymology is from M.E. gaudy-green "yellowish-green," originally "green dye" obtained from a plant formerly known as weld, from a Gmc. source (see weld (n.)), which became gaude in O.Fr. The Eng. term supposedly shifted sense from "weld-dye" to "bright."

gauge --- 1440, from Anglo-Fr. gauge (1357), from O.N.Fr. gauger, from gauge "gauging rod," perhaps from Frank. *galgo "rod, pole for measuring" (cf. O.N. gelgja "pole, perch," O.H.G. galgo, Eng. gallows).

Gaul --- 1563, from Fr. Gaule, from L. Gallia, from Gallus "a Gaul."

gaunt --- 1440, from M.Fr. gant, of uncertain origin; perhaps from a Scand. source (cf. O.N. gand "a thin stick," also "a tall thin man").

gauntlet (1) --- glove, c.1420, from M.Fr. gantelet (13c.), semi-dim. of gant "glove" (12c.), earlier wantos (7c.), from Frank. *want-, from P.Gmc. *wantuz "glove" (cf. M.Du. want "mitten," E.Fris. want, wante, O.N. vöttr "glove," Dan. vante "mitten"), which apparently is related to O.H.G. wintan, O.E. windan "turn around, wind" (see wind (v.)). "The name must orig. have applied to a strip of cloth wrapped about the hand to protect it from sword-blows, a frequent practice in the Icelandic sagas." [Buck] It. guanto, Sp. guante are likewise ult. from Gmc.

gauntlet (2) --- military punishment, 1661, earlier gantlope (1646), from Sw. gatlopp "passageway," from O.Sw. gata "lane" + lopp "course," related to löpa "to run." Probably borrowed by Eng. soldiers during Thirty Years' War.

gauss --- unit of intensity of a magnetic field, 1882, named for Ger. mathematician Karl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855).

gauze --- 1561, from Fr. gaze, apparently from Arabic gazz "raw silk," or from Gaza, Palestinian city associated with production of this fabric.

gavel --- 1805, Amer.Eng., of unknown origin, perhaps connected with Ger. dial. gaffel "brotherhood, friendly society," from M.H.G. gaffel "society, guild," related to O.E. gafol "tribute," giefan "to give." But in some sources gavel also is identified as an actual mason's tool.

gawk (v.) --- 1785, perhaps from M.E. gowen "to stare," from O.N. ga "to heed."

gawky --- awkward, ungainly, 1724, from gawk hand "left hand" (1703), perhaps a contraction of gaulick, thus "gaulish hand," derogatory slang that could have originated during some period of strained Anglo-Fr. relations.

gay --- 1178, "full of joy or mirth," from O.Fr. gai "gay, merry" (12c.); cf. O.Sp. gayo, Port. gaio, It. gajo. Ultimate origin disputed; perhaps from Frank. *gahi (cf. O.H.G. wahi "pretty"), though not all etymologists accept this. Meaning "brilliant, showy" is from c.1300. OED gives 1951 as earliest date for slang meaning "homosexual" (adj.), but this is certainly too late; gey cat "homosexual boy" is attested in N. Erskine's 1933 dictionary of "Underworld & Prison Slang;" the term gey cat (gey is a Scot. variant of gay) was used as far back as 1893 in Amer.Eng. for "young hobo," one who is new on the road and usually in the company of an older tramp, with catamite connotations. But Josiah Flynt ["Tramping With Tramps," 1905] defines gay cat as, "An amateur tramp who works when his begging courage fails him." Gey cats also were said to be tramps who offered sexual services to women. The "Dictionary of American Slang" reports that gay (adj.) was used by homosexuals, among themselves, in this sense since at least 1920. Rawson ["Wicked Words"] notes a male prostitute using gay in reference to male homosexuals (but also to female prostitutes) in London's notorious Cleveland Street Scandal of 1889. Ayto ["20th Century Words"] calls attention to the ambiguous use of the word in the 1868 song "The Gay Young Clerk in the Dry Goods Store," by U.S. female impersonator Will S. Hays. The word gay in the 1890s had an overall tinge of promiscuity -- a gay house was a brothel. The suggestion of immorality in the word can be traced back to 1637. Gay as a noun meaning "a (usually male) homosexual" is attested from 1971.