Russian

Kočegar (кочегар)

An attractive Kočegar (кочегар) introducing coal into the boiler.

The literal meaning of the Russian word Kočegar (кочегар) is stoker. A stoker is a worker who puts coal into the boiler of a steam engine, an industrial furnace, or a heating room. In Russian criminal and prison slang, Kočegar (кочегар) is used pejoratively or cryptically. It refers to a homosexual man, given the legal and social criminalization of homosexuality in Russia.

In some dictionaries, it is specified as referring to an active homosexual, although the documentation is not entirely consistent. Its origins lie in the mid-20th century, within the context of criminal and prison settings. It also partially entered urban slang. Its frequency of use is low, as it is a specialized and largely historical term. It is therefore not one of the most widespread terms, such as Petuh (Петух). However, it does appear in slang dictionaries and oral accounts.

Several explanations have been proposed linking the expression Kočegar (кочегар) to male homosexuality:

Kočegar. Metaphor for the “oven.”

In the sexual symbolism of prison slang, the oven or boiler can represent the body of the one being penetrated. Hence, the image of кочегар “pouring coal, which is interpreted as a metaphor for penetration.

Kočegar. Connection to prison tattoos.

The existence of tattoos alluding to Kočegar (кочегар) on the buttocks of prisoners convicted of sodomy has been documented, reinforcing the association with homosexuality within the symbolic system of the prison system. The prisoners tattooed themselves or were tattooed, with the design and body part relating to the crime they had committed.