Ativo: The partner who penetrates in a male homosexual encounter.

Bicha: Fairy, faggot. Coined in the 1930s and widespread by the 1960s, the term remains the most common way to speak pejoratively about gay men. Not quite as offensive as viado, the word is sometimes used among gay men as a term of endearment.

Bofe: A masculine-acting man who assumed the active role in homoerotic relations. Was considered a “real” man who only turned bonecas due to the sexual unavailability of Brazilian women, who were expected to maintain their virginity until marriage. Term popular from the 1950s-1970s.

Boneca: Literally “doll.” The boneca desired to be penetrated by bofes and strongly ascribed to the notion of a rigid active/passive construct of homosexuality. Term popular from the 1950s-1970s.

Cantada: Words or gestures indicating sexual interest.

Conto de suor: Literally “the story of one who sweats,” refers to a situation in which a bicha lures a “real man” to a boardinghouse. While the two have sex, the bicha’s friends stealthily steal the contents of the man’s wallet.

Entendido: Literally “the one in the know.” Initially used as a coded expression of homosexuality, the term eventually connoted a homosexual identity that rejected the rigidity of the boneca/bofe binary.

Enxuto: Transvestite or drag queen. Literally “shapely man,” the term was popularized in the 1960s by the Baile dos Enxutos.

Fanchono: A masculine man who desires sex with womanly men. Term popular in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

Fazer crochet: Literally “do crochet.” A cruising technique used in movie theaters, a man signals sexual interest by reaching out and touching another man’s crotch.

Footing: Also known as flâneur. A particular way of socializing in public spaces. While upper class young men and women used this technique for flirting and courtship in the early 20^th century, homosexual men appropriated the practice to discreetly meet male sexual partners.

Fresco: Fairy, faggot. Literally means “someone that is fresh.” Term often used in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries to refer to effeminate men or those assumed to enjoy anal penetration by other men.

Homem: The “real man” did not consider himself to be a homosexual and assumed the “active” role in homosexual encounters.

Homossexualismo: The term used in the medical community to refer to homosexuality. The term carries associations of homosexuality and mental illness.

Hospedaria: Boarding houses in which gay men often lived and worked as prostitutes.

Michê: Male hustler. Was not necessarily effeminate and could be found working alongside travestis. Term popularized in the 1960s.

Passivo: The partner who is penetrated in a male homosexual encounter.

Praça Tiradentes: The primary cruising spot for Carioca men seeking sexual encounters with other men in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Commonly known as Largo do Rossio during the era.

Puto: A male prostitute. Term often used in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries to refer to men who engaged in passive anal sexual encounters with other men.

Travesti: An umbrella term used to describe transgender and transsexual women. The term is strongly associated with prostitution.

Turma: A group of bonecas that provided an alternative family for homosexuals facing a hostile society. Acted as both a support network and a means to socialize individuals into the subculture.

Viado: Faggot, fairy. Literally means “deer.” Term emerged in the 1920s and continues to be a common anti-gay slur. A popular origin story holds that the term is derived from a police commissioner’s description of gay men fleeing arresting officers like deer.

Vinte e quatro: The number twenty-four carries homosexual connotations due to its association with the deer (veado), which is worth twenty-four points in the jogo do bicho, an illegal gambling game.