1. An all-purpose insult hurled by sexually naive children.
2. Otherwise, a deliberate term of
abuse (self-appointed public guardians of the language like Ann Coulter notwithstanding, see no. 65 above) towards a gay
man. When aimed by a straight person at a gay person, terms such as "cocksucker," "faggot," "fag," "
dyke" or "homo" are meant to insult, and do. "
Queer" can be a little more liberally applied but nonetheless careful writers do not use it to refer to a group other than themselves unless they know the intended recipients of the remark very well.
--"I was just called a 'flaming faggot'. Does that
mean I'm a bundle of
sticks on fire?"
--"You know perfectly well it doesn't.
Man up and confront the person who so disingenuously hurled that insult at you."