Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

gayola

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: gay-ola
IPA

10

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

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.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Every one of the bars that testified against the police department during the gayola inquiry was shut down."
"Policing power over gay bars was thus shifted from the SFPD's beat officers to the mayor and the chief of police. In the wake of the gayola scandal Mayor Christopher launched an offensive against homosexual drinking establishments."
"One reporter asked the attorneys involved in one of the gayola prosecutions whether “gay bars” were acceptable."

Etymology

From gay + -ola.

Usage

Uncountable

Rhymes With

cola ebola viola lola coca cola coca-cola motorola angola hola pensacola nola granola

Questions

What does gayola mean?: 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.
Where does gayola come from?: From gay + -ola.

How to pronounce gayola

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Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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