pretty police

noun

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

First used 1980s
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounpretty police (uncountable)
  1. UKhistoricalslanguncountablegovernmentMale police officers disguised as gay men who instigated sexual encounters with gay men as an excuse to arrest them for soliciting sex.First known use 1980s

Origin

From pretty (“effeminate”) + police.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

pretty police. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pretty%20police

MLA

“pretty police.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pretty%20police. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pretty police,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pretty%20police.

Source: pretty police on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.