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Wanker

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Wanker is a pejorative term of British origin, common in Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, and gaining usage in Canada and the United States. It initially referred to "one who masturbates" but has since become a general insult. It is synonymous with tosser, toss-pot and tossing it off (commonly meaning wasting time - usually when at work). In parts of the UK the word 'tosser' and it's other forms have become so widespread that it isn't generally regarded as a swear word and is socially acceptable in general conversation.

Meaning

Wanker literally means "one who wanks" (masturbates). It is normally intended as a general insult rather than as an accusation. Wanker has similar meanings and overtones to American pejoratives like "jerk",[1] "jerk-off", and "prick". One particular connotation is of someone self-obsessed or a show-off (usually male).[2]

The term "wanker" originated from British slang in the 1940s, based on the verb "wank".[3] By the 1970s, the general meaning of wanker had shifted from its literal origin (as a masturbator) to that of a generic insult;[4] for example, "a contemptible person". This shift in usage is comparable to that of "dick" or "jerk." A common use is in the chant "The Referee's a Wanker", or "Who's the wanker in the black?", used by football supporters to express disapproval towards a referee.

In Australia the word has developed a metaphorical usage, in which to wank or to be a wanker implies egotistical and self-indulgent behaviour. This meaning is used in phrases like smug wanker, egotistical wanker or pretentious wanker.[5] Wanker is sometimes used to refer to a person in the same way as snob for subjects perceived as pretentious; for instance, wine wanker, fashion wanker, car wanker.[6] This meaning is shown in Whatareya?, a song by Tism, which contrasts "yobs" (uncouth working class) to "wankers" (which according to the context means pretentious intellectuals). In the United States the current usage of the term is more in reference to the person being an idiot or moron, as opposed to the standard dick or jerk synonym in other countries.

The wanker gesture

Wanker may be indicated by a one-handed gesture, usually to an audience out of hearing range.[7] It is shown by curling the fingers of the hand into a loose fist and moving the hand back and forth to mime male masturbation. This is equivalent to saying, "[you are a] wanker". Some motorists show the wanking gesture in front of the rear-view mirror, where other motorists from behind can see the gesture.

Wanker is the centre of a popular story regarding the TV quiz show Countdown in which contestants have to form the longest word possible from nine randomly selected letters. On one occasion the letters permitted the spelling of 'wanker' (or 'wankers') and both contestents replied with the word, leading one to quip "we've got a pair of wankers." The sequence was edited out of the show (as is common with risqué words, although the spelling of 'erection' was permitted) but has been shown as an outtake on other shows.[8]

'The Winker's Song (Misprint)' by Ivor Biggun is one of many songs about masturbation. It humorously describes the singer's masturbation exploits: "I'm a wanker, I'm a wanker. And it does me good like it bloody well should." It reached number 22 in the UK charts despite being banned by BBC Radio 1.[9]

Wanker in other contexts

Wanker is also an English language surname; according to the 1990 census, "Wanker" is the 53,492nd most common surname in the United States.[10] Several American TV shows have used this surname, either referring to or in ignorance of its other meaning. The sitcom Married... with Children featured a character whose maiden name was Wanker. An episode of Mork & Mindy featured a character called Arnold Wanker and aired unedited on UK television. An inept stuntman in the Australian Paul Hogan Show was called Leo Wanker, despite the alternative meaning being well known in Australia.

Wanker can also have other meanings, depending on context. Some American college students use it as a slang term for penis. This usage implies that the purpose of the penis is for masturbation[11]

Usage

In December 2000, research published by the Advertising Standards Authority into attitudes of the British public to pejoratives ranked wanker as the fourth most severe pejorative in English.[12] The BBC describes it as 'moderately offensive' and 'almost certain' to generate complaints if used before the watershed.[13]

If used in Australia, it is not usually considered a swear word, but an offensive word such as crap. It is unheard of in the USA.

See also

References

  1. ^ Etherington, Mike: The very Best of British The American's guide to speaking British
  2. ^ Ludowyk, Frederick: Anatomy of Swearing
  3. ^ Online Etymology Dictionary
  4. ^ Broader use of term esp. Aus
  5. ^ http://au.geocities.com/austlingsoc/proceedings/als2003/stollznow.pdf
  6. ^ http://au.geocities.com/austlingsoc/proceedings/als2003/stollznow.pdf
  7. ^ Etherington, Mike: The very Best of British The American's guide to speaking British
  8. ^ snopes.com: Countdown
  9. ^ yearsofgold.org.uk
  10. ^ 1990 US Census
  11. ^ Cameron, Deborah 'Naming of Parts: Gender, Culture, and Terms for the Penis among American College Students' in American Speech Vol. 67, No. 4 p372
  12. ^ "Delete expletives?" (PDF). Advertising Standards Authority. Retrieved January 6. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help) (pdf)
  13. ^ BBC - Editorial guidelines, definition of offensive language (accessed 2007-01-20)

Further reading

  • Karen Stollznow, 2004, Whinger! Wowser! Wanker! Aussie English: Deprecatory language and the Australian ethos. In Christo Moskovsky (ed), Proceedings of the 2003 Conference of the Australian Linguistic Society. [1]
  • Jenny Cheshire, 1991, English Around the World: sociolinguistic perspectives. Published by Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0521395658.
  • Anthony McEnery and Tony McEnery, 2005 ,Swearing in English: Bad Language, Purity and Power from 1586 to the Present. Published by Routledge, ISBN 0415258375.
  • Etymology online [2]
  • 19 November 1996. "Wanker." The Mavens' Word of the Day. Random House, Inc. [3]
  • Websters Online Dictionary: Wanker
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