gaydarn.
/ˈɡeɪdɑː/, U.S. /ˈɡeɪˌdɑr/ slang.
An ability, attributed esp. to homosexual people and likened humorously to radar, to identify a (fellow) homosexual person by intuition or by interpreting subtle signals conveyed by appearance or behaviour.
ΚΠ
1986 1986 GALA Rev. (San Francisco) July 3/1 There were counsellors from church outreach groups for gay and lesbians, and if my ‘gaydar’ was working right, an above average number of homosexuals.
1989 Re: Call for Discussion: soc.motss.college in soc.motss (Usenet newsgroup) 20 Mar. I was thinking, this gay/straight stuff is just like mismatched impedances. They don't receive our signals, and they bounce right back, attenuated, and then we think they're giving the signal. I'm sure it like is on some sort of gaydar thing.
1992 Independent (Nexis) 15 Mar. 3 When their ‘gaydar’ told them that an assignation was on, they went up short, well-trodden tracks, strewn with foil condom wrappers, which led straight into the undergrowth.
2001 N.Y. Times Mag. 2 Apr. 26/3 I've had conversations with a number of women who've said their ‘Gaydar’ doesn't work anymore. They can't figure out what a guy is.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1986