Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Strange, odd, or unusual: Deviating from what is expected or normal.
   • Suspicious or questionable: Causing doubt or appearing dubious.
   • Unwell or faint: Feeling physically ill or dizzy.
   • (Historical/Slang) Homosexual: Used to refer to a homosexual person. (Note: This usage is now often considered offensive when used by non-LGBTQ+ people, but has been reclaimed as a positive identity term within the LGBTQ+ community).

2. Noun:

   • (Offensive) An openly homosexual man: A derogatory term for a gay man. (Note: This is a strongly offensive term when used by outsiders. Its reclamation within the LGBTQ+ community is context-specific and not for general use by others).

3. Verb:

   • To spoil, ruin, or jeopardize: To put something at risk of failure or to hinder plans.
   • To put in a difficult or disadvantageous position: To cause someone to be in an awkward or compromised situation.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • There was a queer noise coming from the old house. (Strange)
  • The whole situation felt queer and unsettling. (Suspicious)
  • After the long journey, I started to feel a bit queer. (Unwell)
  • The community reclaimed the word "queer" as an umbrella term. (Reclaimed LGBTQ+ identity term)

• Noun:

  • (Historical/Offensive) He was vilified for being a queer. (Derogatory term for a gay man).

• Verb:

  • His sudden resignation queered the deal. (Ruined)
  • She didn't want to queer her chances of promotion. (Jeopardize)

Advanced Usage & Important Notes

• Reclamation and Sensitivity: The word "queer" has a complex history. While its primary historical meanings were "strange" or "to spoil," its use as a slur against LGBTQ+ people in the 20th century is significant. Since the late 1980s, the term has been actively reclaimed by many within the LGBTQ+ community as a positive, inclusive identity label (e.g., "queer theory," "queer community"). Crucially, when used as an identity label, it is generally acceptable only when used by LGBTQ+ people about themselves or their community. Its use by others can be considered highly offensive.
• "To queer the pitch": An idiom meaning to spoil or ruin someone's plans or chances, especially in a business or competitive context.
  • The bad weather really queered the pitch for the outdoor festival.

Variants and Related Words

• Queerly (adverb): In a strange or odd manner.
  • He was acting queerly.
• Queerness (noun): The state or quality of being strange; also used in academic contexts (Queer Studies) to discuss non-normative sexual and gender identities.
• Queer theory: An academic field that challenges fixed categories of identity, particularly regarding gender and sexuality.

Synonyms

• Adjective (strange): Odd, peculiar, bizarre, curious, unusual.
• Verb (spoil): Ruin, wreck, sabotage, thwart, foil.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Idioms

• To feel queer: To feel unwell or nauseated.
  • The rocking of the boat made me feel queer.
• To be in Queer Street (British, archaic slang): To be in financial difficulty or trouble.
  • After the failed investment, he found himself in Queer Street.

Adjective

1. homosexual or arousing homosexual desires
2. beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
   • a curious hybrid accent
   • her speech has a funny twang
   • they have some funny ideas about war
   • had an odd name
   • the peculiar aromatic odor of cloves
   • something definitely queer about this town
   • what a rum fellow
   • singular behavior

Noun

1. offensive term for an openly homosexual man

Verb

1. put in a dangerous, disadvantageous, or difficult position
2. hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of
   • What ultimately frustrated every challenger was Ruth's amazing September surge
   • foil your opponent