Often the attraction for the gay male partner is finding a dangerous, even thuggish, partner who may turn violent. Often, the terms trade and rough trade are treated as synonymous. More modern usage has centered on any casual sexual encounter between men, and as an adjective to refer to any male considered masculine and/or sexually appealing. Examples of this include wealthy Englishmen finding partners among deprived Cockneys in 1930s London. Trade originally referred to casual sex partners, regardless of sexuality as many gay and bisexual men were closeted, but evolved to imply the gay partner is comparatively wealthy and the partner who is trade is economically deprived.

Historically the motivations may at times include a desire for emotional fulfillment and admiration, but the term often refers to a straight man who partners with a gay man for economic benefit, either through a direct cash payment or through other, more subtle means (gifts, tuition payments, etc.). Men falling in the category of 'trade' are not gay-identified. Trade (also known as chow) is a gay slang term which refers to the casual partner of a gay man or to the genre of such pairings. JSTOR ( January 2009) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification.