Diesel Dyke

Diesel dyke is a colloquial term for a lesbian with a very strong, traditionally masculine presentation, a step beyond standard butch. It is often associated with a rugged, working-class image, with references to trucks, short hair, and plaid shirts. The phrase sits alongside related slang like bull dyke in the broad vocabulary lesbian communities have used to describe masculine gender expression. Like many identity words, it can be worn proudly as a self-descriptor or land as reductive and derogatory when applied by outsiders. Context and who is speaking matter a great deal. As with the word dyke generally, its acceptability depends heavily on whether it is used within the community or aimed at it.