Etymology

pretty police

Today it means: Male police officers disguised as gay men who instigated sexual encounters with gay men as an excuse to arrest them for soliciting sex. Full definition →

First used 1980s
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The story

From pretty (“effeminate”) + police.

First known use, by meaning

  • 1980s Male police officers disguised as gay men who instigated sexual encounters with gay men as an excuse to arrest them for soliciting sex.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.