Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (S.Afr./US und.) the male lover of another prisoner.

1991		J. & W. Branford Dict. S. Afr. Eng. (4th edn).
2002		W.D. Myers Handbook for Boys 115: ‘Five years of sitting in a cell, worrying if somebody [...] wants to make you their girlfriend’.

2. (US black) a form of address from a man to a woman, not necessarily known.

1988		Eble Campus Sl. Oct. 5: girlfriend – noun of address to a female.
1997		Simon & Burns Corner (1998) 220: ‘Curt.’ ‘Hey, girlfriend.’.
1998		(con. 1986) G. Pelecanos Sweet Forever 39: You too, girlfriend [...] Time for you to come in and see the footdiatrist.
2019		D. Winslow Border [ebook] ‘Move along, girlfriend,’ he says. ‘You attracting unwanted attention’ .

3. a form of address between lesbians, not necessarily in a relationship.

1990		S. Morgan Homeboy 83: Girlfriend [...] with us it gonna just get better.
2003		K. Cage Gayle.
2003		Simon & Burns ‘Ebb Tide’ Wire ser. 2 ep. 1 [TV script] Each time, girlfriend.

4. a fellow gay man, thus a form of address between gay men.

1964		H. Selby Jr Last Exit to Brooklyn 23: She [i.e. a homosexual transvestite] was in love with Vinnie and rarely came home while he was in jail, but stayed uptown with her girl friends.
1988		A. Hollinghurst Swimming-Pool Library (1998) 66: The typical transsexual talk of the place [...] had thrown James into deep dejection when he innocently heard a boy he had a crush on talking of his girlfriend.
2003		K. Cage Gayle.
2005		L. Redhead Rubdown [ebook] He opened his eyes wide and waggled the vegetable [i.e. a courgette]. ‘Girlfriend!’ For a straight boy he sure could act camp.

5. (US black) a form of address between women.

1998		Source Nov. 83: I don’t know where ya been, girlfriend.
2008		A. Wheatle Dirty South 158: This is Brixton skunk, girlfriend. From Brixton!
2010		L. Berney Gutshot Straight [ebook] She was feeling some bad shit right now [...] But, girlfriend, believe it, it was fast.

6. (US gay) any friend, irrespective of gender/sexuality; a lesbian.

1998

R. Scott Rebecca’s Dict. of Queer Sl. 🌐 girlfriend — 1) any friend, either a woman or a gay man 2) a lesbian’s lover.

7. (US black) a woman.

1973		C. Himes ‘Baby Sister’ [screenplay] in Black on Black 89: LIL moves to another table to chat with a girl friend.
1999		‘Master Pimp’ Pimp’s Rap 57: Girlfriend just couldn’t get enough.
2000		W.D. Myers ‘Block Party–145th Street Style’ in 145th Street 144: I have eaten girlfriend’s potato salad and it’s not all that .

8. (N.Z. prison) a prisoner who ‘works for’ another, running errands, etc.

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 78/1: girlfriend n. 1 an inmate who acts as a servant or runner for a more established inmate.

9. (N.Z. prison) a newly qualified prison officer.

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 78/1: girlfriend n. 1 an inmate who acts as a servant or runner for a more established inmate.