Somdomite

The notorious malapropism of somdomite ("sodomite") has echoed for over a hundred years, since John Sholto Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensbury, the furious father of Oscar Wilde's lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, left his card for Wilde at the Albemarle Club, inscribed "For Oscar Wilde, posing as a somdomite."

Wilde did not do the sensible thing, to pocket the card and move right along. He sued for libel, lost and was later jailed for gross indecency and ruined.

The Marquess had warned Wilde to stay away from his son, but the infatuated Wilde ignored him. At the opening of Wilde's great triumph, The Importance of Being Earnest on February 14, 1895, Queensbury intended to publicly denounce Wilde, but he was refused a ticket. Two weeks later he left his inscribed calling card.

But "somdomite" has rung in literate gay circles for over a hundred years, as the very essence of gauche heterosexual boorishness, even in a marquess. The mockery has a bitter ring to it however.

To confuse matters even further, although the version above is generally accepted, there is some doubt about what Queensberry wrote on the card, since his handwriting was virtually unreadable. The doorman at the Albemarle Club thought he was describing Wilde as a "ponce."

For other, more serious and historically relevant errors concerning "sodomites", see Sodom.