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| {{wiktionarypar|wanker}} | {{wiktionarypar|wanker}} | ||
| '''Wanker''' is a ] term |
'''Wanker''' is a ] term in use in the ], ], ], and ]. | ||
| ==Meaning== | ==Meaning and usage== | ||
| The term literally means "one who wanks" (]). The term is not generally taken to be an accusation of masturbation but rather as a general insult. This means that such non-sensical phrases at first hearing do not sound ridiculous, such as "He had his hands chopped off. What a wanker!" In particular, it may connote one (usually male) who is self-obsessed, or a show-off. It has similar meanings and overtones to ] pejorative terms like "jerk", "jerk-off", or "prick". As with many profanities, wanker is considered much less shocking today than a generation ago, though it is still an insult. | |||
| #"One who (]) | |||
| The term wanker has also been extended, as a generic ], to cover self-aggrandizement or ostentatious behaviour, specifically where the performer's impression of their own talent and ability manifestly exceeds that of the audience. Similarly, "wanking" can describe any showy activity that mainly pleases its participant{{cn}}, such as playing ], free-form guitar playing, drum solos, or progressive ] ] solos. It can also refer to private jokes, ], ], and esoteric references (common in ] and ] circles). In Britain the term is used a generic insult but in Australia this second meaning is predominant and it is rarely used as a general insult. For instance, someone who drives a beat-up car who almost crashes into another car would not be called a wanker, while someone who drives a sports car would be. | |||
| ⚫ | #"A contemptible person" or "jerk", | ||
| ] The insult can be gestured by curling the fingers of the hand into a loose fist and moving the hand back and forth to symbolically imitate the act of male masturbation. It is sometimes enacted during altercations between motorists, where one motorist shows the "hand-shandy" in front of the rear-view mirror for the benefit of a recently-overtaken motorist. | |||
| #Slang for penis.<ref>Cameron, Deborah 'Naming of Parts: Gender, Culture, and Terms for the Penis among American College Students' in ''American Speech Vol. 67, No. 4'' p372</ref>, | |||
| Examples: | |||
| According to the 1990 ], "Wanker" is the 53,492nd most common ] in the United States. <ref></ref> | |||
| *"No one wants to be seen as 'a wanker'. | |||
| In ], the term "wanker" is used as an abbreviation of West Banker, referring to someone who lives on the West Bank of the ] in the New Orleans metro area. The term is used derogatorily by those who live on the East Bank of the river (particularly Uptown New Orleans), but it does not carry the same meaning as that of the British usage.{{fact}} | |||
| == Usage and social acceptability == | |||
| As with the word "jerk", the effect of the word often depends on the situation. In a potentially aggressive situation, such as a football game, for instance, using it might entail serious consequences. | |||
| In the ], the usage of "wanker" as an insult is considered stereotypically to be very English or British. Generally when seen on American television programmes and video games, it is primarily British people who use the term, sometimes to the confusion of any American in the vicinity. | |||
| In the episode "Phil the Shill" of the TV series '']'' broadcasted in 1985, a British character played by ] says, "You must take me for a right wanker, son..." – using the term in a context where 'idiot' would normally be used. His character erroneously (or perhaps disingenuously) explains the term as being "a twit, a tube, a tool...". This was the first time the term wanker was used in its proper context on American television. | |||
| In the ribald American ] '']'', the character Peggy's maiden name is Wanker; ]'s in-laws are therefore the Wankers. These fictional Wankers resided in the fictional Wanker County. An episode of '']'' also included a character called Arnold Wanker, though this aired before the understanding of the term was common throughout the U.S. and was less likely to be intentional, as the ''Married... with Children'' usage was. Chandler also referred to someone as a "wank" in an episode of '']''. In an episode of '']'' featuring the ] band ], one of them used the term twice, suggesting that American audiences would not be offended; when the programme was shown in the UK (pre-watershed in its usual slot) these moments were cut. | |||
| As most Americans are familiar with the term nowadays, such "incidental" uses as the ''Mork & Mindy'' example have declined. However, there remains an American brand of bottled beer named Wanker. | |||
| In the UK, it is generally unacceptable to use it in front of minors, and would most likely incur some form of discipline for those who were to say it during daytime television in the United Kingdom. That said, an infamous out-take from the word game ] records a moment when both contestants offered the word ''wankers'' as their answer, much to the embarrassment of the host of the show, the late ]. It is generally allowed to be used on television only after the ]. | |||
| In addition, it is common, particularly in England, that people chant a small verse, aimed at another person, most often a male. The song is rather simple, and its origins linked to a popular ]. The song goes: ''(Name) is the captain of our ship, oh (name) is the captain of our ship. The ship is a tanker, (name) is a wanker, (name) has a very large/small ].'' | |||
| A common use is in the phrase "The ]'s a Wanker", or "Who's the wanker in the black?", commonly chanted by ] supporters to express disapproval towards a referee, almost invariably following a decision unfavourable to their team. | |||
| Humorous uses are common; a notable example being "Winker's Song <nowiki></nowiki>", a minor UK chart hit for cult comedian ]. The chorus of that song ("I'm a wanker, I'm a wanker") is perhaps more famous from its appearance in the cult TV comedy '']''. Similarly the line " not a wanker or a banker" in Devo's ''Triumph of the Will''. There is an obvious separation between the insult and the reality of the act. | |||
| A related but less common slang term is ''wankered'' to mean "extremely drunk". This usage is almost exclusively found in the UK, primarily in youth culture. | |||
| Also a product of youth culture, any activity or thing that is regarded as uninteresting or shabby can be described as ''wank'', ''a pile of wank'', ''a bag of wank'' or "a bunch of wank". | |||
| When the term ''wanker'' is not sufficiently abusive for the user, the variant ''wankhard'' may be used - this is a portmanteau and implies a greater degree of strength in the use of the epithet. | |||
| Australian crowds at cricket matches will often join in the chant, "You are a wanker!" to mock umpires and opposition players (particularly following a dropped catch or fumble). | |||
| == Wanker in popular culture == | |||
| *In the animated series ], both characters continually call each other Wanker. | |||
| *In ] comic book series, one of the main characters, ] says "Wanker: Noun, the one who wanks." | |||
| * The word Wanker was used twice in ] throughout its lifetime, being used by Geoffrey the butler, and Lady Penelope, who only appeared in one episode. These two characters are both British, therefore when said in front of the likes of Will Smith, he pulls a confused face. | |||
| *In '']'' episode "]", ] and ] of ] both say the word ''wanker''. It was deleted from the UK version of the episode. | |||
| *In '']'' episode "]", ] disdains the first day of school as "a total wank", to which ] responds "If by wank you mean educational fun, stand back, it's wanking time!" | |||
| *In ] the main airline is called Juank Air. | |||
| *In ], a few episodes make reference to a theme park called "Wankyland" | |||
| *'The Winker's Song (Misprint)' by ], released as a single in 1978, 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 is one of many in the ]. | |||
| * The word was used twice in the film '']'', first by the irate rancher when her ] is stolen by the female ] agent, and again by the aforementioned agent when her superior is arrested in ] while having a phone conversation with her. | |||
| *An episode of "Mork and Mindy", starring ], contains a neighbourhood character called, "Mr. Wanker". | |||
| *The Australian band ] released an album titled www.tism.wanker.com in 1998 | |||
| *In the "South Park" animated series (set in the United States) Grandpa Marsh refers to Civil War re-enactors as "a bunch of drunk wankers from Colorado". | |||
| * In "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", Spike often refers to many other characters as 'wankers'. | |||
| * After ] was beaten by ] in the ], ] was nicknamed 'the little winker' in the newspaper ], implicitly referring to 'the little wanker'. He had been picked up on a camera winking at the team bench at after ] had been sent off. | |||
| *"You wanker". | |||
| *"Fuck off, wanker". | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
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| <references/> | <references/> | ||
| == |
==General reading on slang terms and "swearing"== | ||
| * 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. | |||
| * Jenny Cheshire, 1991, English Around the World: sociolinguistic perspectives. Published by ], ISBN 0521395658. | * Jenny Cheshire, 1991, English Around the World: sociolinguistic perspectives. Published by ], ISBN 0521395658. | ||
| * Anthony McEnery and Tony McEnery, 2005 ,Swearing in English: Bad Language, Purity and Power from 1586 to the Present. Published by ], ISBN 0415258375. | * Anthony McEnery and Tony McEnery, 2005 ,Swearing in English: Bad Language, Purity and Power from 1586 to the Present. Published by ], ISBN 0415258375. | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| * 19 November 1996. "Wanker." The Mavens' Word of the Day. Random House, Inc. | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
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Wanker is a pejorative term in use in the British, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.
Meaning and usage
- "One who (masturbates)
- Slang for penis.,
Examples:
See also
References
- Cameron, Deborah 'Naming of Parts: Gender, Culture, and Terms for the Penis among American College Students' in American Speech Vol. 67, No. 4 p372
General reading on slang terms and "swearing"
- 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.