Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also pap) an affectionate name used by a woman to her husband, lover or pimp; occas. man-to-man (see cite 1945, 1978).

1895		J.E. Howard ‘I’m Looking For A Bully’ 🎵 Gaze into your Papa’s eyes and say to me Goo Goo.
1907		B. Fisher A. Mutt in Blackbeard Compilation (1977) 4: Don’t worry about it, Papa, I know it has been a lesson to you.
1926		Van Vechten Nigger Heaven 85: She’s just naturally full o’ pep and she bounces the papas off their rails.
1939		Bandanna Girls ‘Part Time Papa’ 🎵 See him on the corner, dressed up mighty fine / He’s not thinkin’ of you baby, he’s just countin’ off your time / He’s a part time papa, don’t mean nobody no good.
1944		C. Himes ‘Let Me at the Enemy’ in Coll. Stories (1990) 46: If you ever loved your everloving papa send me ten bucks.
1945		C. Himes If He Hollers 52: ‘That’s right,’ I said. ‘Try a fool’ They grinned. ‘You got it, Papa’ .
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 171: pap A whore monger.
a.1954		‘Mexicana Rose’ in D. Wepman et al. Life (1976) 43: I’m sorry, pretty papa, I could have made you rich.
1978		R. Charles Brother Ray 90: A record! Man, that was the ultimate! [...] Yes, we’ll cut a record, Mr. Lauderdale. Good God Almighty! Just show us the way, Papa.
1987		in Delacoste & Alexander Sex Work (1988) 78: Hey Mister Papa-san.
1990		L. Goodison Baby Mother and King of Swords 53: She always said the same thing when she came through the gate, ‘Papa, ah come’.

2. oneself.

1928		R. Fisher Walls Of Jericho 88: Boy, she’s got what it takes, and papa don’ mean maybe!
1957		C. Himes Imabelle 114: Come on, Baby, don’t give papa any trouble.
1965		C. Himes Rage in Harlem (1969) 116: [as 1957].
1971		B. Malamud Tenants (1972) 31: No siree, man. That stays with papa. I have my briefcase for that.

3. (US Und.) a Lincoln automobile.

1931		Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 141: Papa.–A Lincoln automobile, more or less the ‘old man’ of the American automobiles from the standpoint of size and cost.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 152/1: Papa. A Lincoln automobile.

4. a masculine lesbian.

[1898		‘Jacobus X’ [trans.] Untrodden Fields (2 edn) II 303: Among the tribadic couples in Berlin, living in concubinage,..the active and passive rôles are always distinct. The first, or the more active, belongs to that which they call the papa or uncle, to whom, as in marriage, great freedom is permitted in her connection with men] [Simes:DLSS].
1922		S. Kahn Mentality & Homosexuality 123: Papas: These are the female homosexuals, who act and appear as males.
1941		G. Legman ‘Lang. of Homosexuality’ Appendix VII in Henry Sex Variants.
1952		S. Harris Wayward Ones 117: ‘You tell Pee-Pee not to be a nag or else [...] Or else maybe li’l ol’ nag-girl’s gonna have to find ’erself another papa’.
1965		K. Worthy Homosexual Generation Ch. xvi: A Papa: Female homosexual who takes the man’s part exclusively.

5. an older or macho homosexual man.

1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 292: Pederast, active. papa.
1953		T. Runyon In For Life 98: As so often happens [...] Papa had been untrue to her [i.e. a male prisoner].
1968		‘D. Austin’ Queer Pen 57: ‘Whatsamatter, sweetheart?’ Reb asked, his tone solicitous. ‘Worried about losin’ papa?’ [Simes:DLSS].
1979		Maledicta III:2 232: Other names and words [are] papa (daddy, jocker, etc.).
1992		Bentley & Corbett Prison Sl. 59: Dad also Daddy A homosexual’s lover, who owns or controls him [...] (Archaic: papa).