What's a "Beard"?

In last week's episode Elaine was a "beard". What exactly is it? Is it slang?

DW

A Beard is someone who stands in for another in order to deceive a third party. A common practice is for a gay man to accompany a female friend who doesn't wish to be bothered by a straight male.

sm,v Steven Blackwood

"Experts agree. Eveything is fine."

In article , [email] writes:

Disagree with your interpretation. It's usually the gay man who wishes to avoid suspicion by providing himself with a "beard", i.e., a female friend who gives him the appearance of having heterosexual preferences.

The "beard" makes him appear more masculine.

Mitchell Virchick P225 ([email]) wrote:

Woah! You guys are way off! I can't believe you don't know what a "beard" is! Dude, it's the common name for facial hair that runs from ear to ear along the chin! Holy moley, you guys are way off! Way off!!!

• Dan

heehee

In article [email] (Dan Saltzstein) writes:

that last was the best explanation of what a beard is.

the first time i heard of someone being a "beard" was in "broadway danny rose", but it was a heterosexual situation. can anyone help out and refresh my memory of woody allen's scenario?

i noticed that i remembered it from that film but i didn't think there would be so much discussion about it. i forgot that *everything* from a seinfeld is discussed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ - capital letters are unnecessary

                     except for shouting on internet
                    and some names in certain contexts

When I heard "beard", I thought of Woody Allen in "The Front." He was a "beard" for a few blacklisted screenwriters. Anyone remember this?

Bobby

The Columbia Concise dictionary defines a "Beard" (as used here) as "One who serve to divert suspicion or attention from another."

Woody serves that purpose in both films. In BDR, he is acting as Mia farrow's escort to disguise the fact that Mia is someone else's girlfriend (in this case the lounge singer.)

Steven Blackwood

"Experts agree. Eveything is fine."

A beard is a person who diverts attention from another.

That's from Webster.

THANK YOU! can we move on now?

Danny Whittington,[email]. wrote:

In last week's episode Elaine was a "beard". What exactly is it? Is it slang?

A "beard" is a term for a woman who "dates" or lives with a homosexual man in order to give the appearance of the man being heterosexual. Not unlike Richard Gere, Alan Rickman etc. etc. etc. Obviously it is especially useful for actors that are "sex-symbols" or leading men. Does anyone know where the term came from, though? Is it simply connected to a beard as a disguise?

Alastair

A beard is gay slang for a woman who will accompany a gay man on social occasions where a female date is required. You know, dinner with the boss, etc.

She is called a beard, because like a beard it obscures the truth right in front of you. That is, you think you know what this person is, but without the"beard" you wouldn't recognize him.

[email] (Danny Whittington) writes:

I used to have sideburns, but I figured it was absurd to pretend.
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Elaine had a date with a homosexual guy, and then she tried to get him to switch teams. Her being a "beard" refers to her being his girl for the evening. Beard is another word for women's pubic hair.

I always thought a 'beard' was someone standing in for another. The previous context I heard it in was the McCarthy blaklisting era. Didn't Woody Allen play a 'beard' in a movie about that era?

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Bruce in Oakland, CA ([email])

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In article , [email] writes:

A Beard is slang actually. It is used by homosexual men who date women to try to hide the fact that they are gay. Actually, i'm misleading you. It occurs when a gay man is in a situation where he feels he has to look straight, so having a girlfriend helps. Similarly, A man who goes with a lesbian is called a 'purse'. Dwayne James