In reply to:

it was not from a very reliable source, so I'd appreciate correction if I'm off my cracker. Sometime in the 19th Century GAY was an acronym for "Green And Yellow", which served as a clothing color code for those in the know.

I've not heard the story before, and it seems most unlikely. Most word and phrases origins people seem to agree that acronyms were very rare before WWII.

Bingley


Bingley