Wanker

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Wanker is a pejorative term of British origin, which is also common in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Meaning

The term literally means "one who wanks" (masturbates). 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 American 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.

The term "wanker" originated in British slang in the 1940's, based on the verb "wank". However, by the 1970's, usage of the term had shifted from its literal origins, and it began to used as a generic insult. The evolution of this term's usage, from the specific act of masturbation to a general character descriptor, e.g. "contemptible person", is similar to the evolution of the American version, "jerk".

The modern usage of the term "wanker" refers to 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, such as playing air guitar, free-form guitar playing, drum solos, or progressive jazz saxophone solos. It can also refer to private jokes, in-jokes, eccentric behaviour, and esoteric references (common in geek and academic 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.

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.

Wanker can also have other meanings, depending on the context. It is also a slang term for penis used by American college students. This usage implies that the penis is primarily a tool for masturbation.

According to the 1990 Census, "Wanker" is the 53,492nd most common surname in the United States.

In New Orleans, the term "wanker" is used as an abbreviation of West Banker, referring to someone who lives on the West Bank of the Mississippi 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.

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 U.S., 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 Miami Vice broadcasted in 1985, a British character played by Phil Collins 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 sitcom Married... with Children, the character Peggy's maiden name is Wanker; Al Bundy's in-laws are therefore the Wankers. These fictional Wankers resided in the fictional Wanker County. An episode of Mork & Mindy 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 Friends. In an episode of The Simpsons featuring the Irish band U2, 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 Countdown 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 Richard Whiteley. It is generally allowed to be used on television only after the watershed.

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 football chant. 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 dick.

A common use is in the phrase "The Referee's a Wanker", or "Who's the wanker in the black?", commonly chanted by football 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 ", a minor UK chart hit for cult comedian Ivor Biggun. 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 Men Behaving Badly. 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 Weebl and Bob, both characters continually call each other Wanker.
In Preacher comic book series, one of the main characters, Cassidy says "Wanker: Noun, the one who wanks."
The word Wanker was used twice in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air 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 The Simpsons episode "Trash of the Titans", Mr Burns and Adam Clayton of U2 both say the word wanker. It was deleted from the UK version of the episode.
In The Simpsons episode "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can", Bart disdains the first day of school as "a total wank", to which Principal Skinner responds "If by wank you mean educational fun, stand back, it's wanking time!"
In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas the main airline is called Juank Air.
In Hey Arnold, a few episodes make reference to a theme park called "Wankyland"
'The Winker's Song (Misprint)' by Ivor Biggun, 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 list of songs about masturbation.
The word was used twice in the film The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, first by the irate rancher when her Ultralight plane is stolen by the female CIA agent, and again by the aforementioned agent when her superior is arrested in Washington while having a phone conversation with her.
An episode of "Mork and Mindy", starring Robin Williams, contains a neighbourhood character called, "Mr. Wanker".
The Australian band TISM 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 England was beaten by Portugal in the 2006 Fifa world cup, Christiano Ronaldo was nicknamed 'the little winker' in the newspaper The Sun, implicitly referring to 'the little wanker'. He had been picked up on a camera winking at the team bench at after Wayne Rooney had been sent off.

References

Online Etymology Dictionary
Cameron, Deborah 'Naming of Parts: Gender, Culture, and Terms for the Penis among American College Students' in American Speech Vol. 67, No. 4 p372
[1990 US Census

Misplaced Pages

Meaning

Usage and social acceptability

Wanker in popular culture

See also

References

Further reading