# What does "queer as folk" mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 26, 2004, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-queer-as-folk-mean/247203 "2004-05-26T17:00:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-queer-as-folk-mean/247203/1 "2004-05-26T17:00:11Z")
Why are “folk” a standard for queerdom? Where does the phrase for the Showtime series come from? This might be a General Question, but I thought Cafe Society might allow for broader discussion. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-queer-as-folk-mean/247203/2 "2004-05-26T17:13:13Z")
It’s an old saying, “There’s nought so queer as folk,” which means “There’s nothing as strange as people,” or, more idiomatically, “People are funny.” ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-queer-as-folk-mean/247203/3 "2004-05-26T17:15:01Z")
It’s a Northern English saying…“There’s nowt so queer as folk”, which means that of all the strange things in the world, there’s nothing so odd as human beings and the way we act. When they decided to make a drama about a group of gay men in Manchester, I’d imagine they remembered the saying, realized that “queer” had a double meaning, and used it for the title. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-queer-as-folk-mean/247203/4 "2004-05-26T17:24:03Z")
“There’s nowt as queer as folk” is a venerable Lancashire expression meaning “[shrug], people are strange”. Gay British folk have a history of wordplay (The film about Joe Orton, “Prick Up Your Ears” obviously refers to an anagram orifice). The term “Queer as fuck” was used in posters and - IIRC - magazines as a way of outing people in the the late 80s and early 90s. I seem to remember some litigation. I assume the TV programme (which I haven’t seen) is a remake of the UK series of the same name. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-queer-as-folk-mean/247203/5 "2004-05-26T17:59:48Z")
Just to say it is deffinately ‘nowt’ not ‘naught’ as this is a Lancastrian saying. For best results say it whilst wearing a cloth cap and walking a whippet. ' **Libertarian** changed name to **Liberal** , well ‘t all goes to show that there’s nowt as queer as folks.’ - Bippy wanders off looking for Foggy and Clegg. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-queer-as-folk-mean/247203/6 "2004-05-26T22:03:12Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > Just to say it is deffinately ‘nowt’ not ‘naught’ as this is a Lancastrian saying. Yes, I realized just after clicking “submit” that I should have used that spelling. –Biffy the Elephant Shrew (never been north of Cambridgeshire) ---
**Author:** ![peculiar\_hailstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/46a35a/32.png) [@peculiar\_hailstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peculiar_hailstone)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-queer-as-folk-mean/247203/7 "2004-05-27T01:38:52Z")
> [@hawthorne](#): > > “There’s nowt as queer as folk” is a venerable Lancashire expression meaning “[shrug], people are strange”. Gay British folk have a history of wordplay (The film about Joe Orton, “Prick Up Your Ears” obviously refers to an anagram orifice). The term “Queer as fuck” was used in posters and - IIRC - magazines as a way of outing people in the the late 80s and early 90s. I seem to remember some litigation. I assume the TV programme (which I haven’t seen) is a remake of the UK series of the same name. It is indeed an American version of the UK series of the same name. So, it’s not surprising that the expression is British. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-queer-as-folk-mean/247203/8 "2004-05-27T04:26:49Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > Bippy wanders off looking for Foggy and Clegg. Whatever you do, don’t climb into that contraption that will let you ride around the country roads in style - it’s sure to go out of control and crash into that old stone wall! And stay away from Nora Batty.