# Did Homer Simpson really say "wankers" ? Does no one in the USA know what it means? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 21, 2003, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-homer-simpson-really-say-wankers-does-no-one-in-the-usa-know-what-it-means/170007 "2003-04-21T11:20:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-homer-simpson-really-say-wankers-does-no-one-in-the-usa-know-what-it-means/170007/61 "2003-04-22T23:43:48Z")
What is “nerrrrrrrr”? In any case, if you are serious, **Theom** , it’s an urban legend. The same story is told about the French at the Battle of Agincourt. See [Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/language/apocryph/pluckyew.htm). ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-homer-simpson-really-say-wankers-does-no-one-in-the-usa-know-what-it-means/170007/62 "2003-04-23T02:12:59Z")
Interesting that fanny is a fairly innocent descriptive word on both sides, but describing such very different body parts. I can’t think of a “cute” American equivalent to the British “fanny.” I could see using fanny in the American sense in front of my grandma, but not otherwise! 🙂 Not long ago I ended up having a fifteen-minute argument with a British person about her diary. She’d forgotten it, I volunteered to go out and get her a blank notebook, she was MYSTIFIED…finally, we figured out what the other one meant! (She’d forgotten her daily planner. Oops indeed!) ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-homer-simpson-really-say-wankers-does-no-one-in-the-usa-know-what-it-means/170007/63 "2003-04-23T03:37:47Z")
I just looked up “scumbag” in the American Heritage Dictionary online and found it is a “NOUN: Slang A person regarded as despicable.” Merriam-Webster says the same. I believe I have read its etymology comes from a used condom! The OED online wants a password; anyone got one handy? I’m always secretly amused when I hear “scumbag” used by little old ladies and other innocents … is that really what it refers to? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-homer-simpson-really-say-wankers-does-no-one-in-the-usa-know-what-it-means/170007/64 "2003-04-23T04:19:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Theom \* > For the history buffs this dates from the time of the English/French war. When the French captured English Archers they would chop the first two fingers off their hands so they would never be able to draw a bow again, the Longbow being the most devastating weapon in the English armoury. The English Archers would stand facing the French lines before battle holding up their hands with the two fingers extended going “Yahh, we’ve got our fingers nerrrrrrrrrr”. You left off the punchline. Most bows were carved from yew, a type of wood, so demonstrating that you still had your fingers was typically accompanied by shouting at the enemy: “See! We can stil pluck yew! PLUCK YEW!” ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-homer-simpson-really-say-wankers-does-no-one-in-the-usa-know-what-it-means/170007/65 "2003-04-23T05:07:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by whiterabbit \* > \*\*Interesting that fanny is a fairly innocent descriptive word on both sides, but describing such very different body parts. I can’t think of a “cute” American equivalent to the British “fanny.” I could see using fanny in the American sense in front of my grandma, but not otherwise! 🙂 \*\* How about “coochie?” ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-homer-simpson-really-say-wankers-does-no-one-in-the-usa-know-what-it-means/170007/66 "2003-04-23T05:46:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Space Vampire \* > **That’s why foreign cursing is usually a-okay for TV and I say x§A¦Ñ©i if I so much as stub my toe.** Uh, how is that pronounced, exactly? > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Elfkin477_ > anyone who has ever read Dickinson or Shakespeare (which at least 90% of high school students do) Methinks thou dost give too much credit! I went to a magnet high school, filled with the best and brightest, and I’d say only 2/3, at best, read the assigned material. **Exapno Mapcase** , that excerpt was positively shocking! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-homer-simpson-really-say-wankers-does-no-one-in-the-usa-know-what-it-means/170007/67 "2003-04-23T10:15:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Walloon \* > \*\* > > Can some Brit explain what is offensive about the term “bloody”? It has a legitimate, non-slang meaning. It has no sexual double-meaning like “pussy” does. Its long-forgotten historical meaning was as an abbreviation for the exclamation “God’s blood!” > > Every time I’ve asked a Brit why it’s considered offensive, they can’t explain. \*\* It’s not offensive, its about the mildest expletive there is. It might make an impact if the Queen said it (remember when Princess Anne said “Naff off”?) but otherwise its no big deal. And “shag” isn’t in the least bit rude either, its a comedy term for a bonk. (note spelling), hence its use in a hit comedy. The only news it made over here was the over-reaction of the American media and its occasionally bowlderised title in the USA And if Mr Burns called U2 wankers, he is now my favourite Simpson character of all time. If you wanted a dictionary definition of a wanker, simply cross Bono with Sting (who is more of a prick really). ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-homer-simpson-really-say-wankers-does-no-one-in-the-usa-know-what-it-means/170007/68 "2003-04-23T17:11:10Z")
Re: “bloody” – I (an American) have found the Brits to be rather divided in opinion about “bloody”. Many of them swear up and down (so to speak) that “bloody hell” is as strong an exclamation in British culture as “f\*\*\*ing hell” is in American culture. The funny thing is, that doesn’t seem to stop those same Brits from using the expression “bloody hell” quite often. One of the mysteries of language. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-homer-simpson-really-say-wankers-does-no-one-in-the-usa-know-what-it-means/170007/69 "2003-04-23T17:36:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astorian \* > \*\*Two words can mean exactly the same thing while having very different connotations. Strictly speaking, the “F-word” means exactly the same thing as the Yiddish word “Schtup”- but no American television network would ever allow the F-word to be spoken on prime time, while a Jewish comic CAN say “schtup” without anyone batting an eyelash. > > Now, I don’t know- MAYBE to an earlier generation of Jews, “schtup” might have been a truly vulgar word. But to most non-Jewish Americans, it’s become a light-hearted euphemism for having sex.\*\* I don’t think times have changed _that_ much since **Blazing Saddles** was first shown on TV. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-homer-simpson-really-say-wankers-does-no-one-in-the-usa-know-what-it-means/170007/70 "2003-04-23T17:45:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Me \* > \*\*I just looked up “scumbag” in the American Heritage Dictionary online and found it is a “NOUN: Slang A person regarded as despicable.” Merriam-Webster says the same. > > I believe I have read its etymology comes from a used condom! The OED online wants a password; anyone got one handy? I’m always secretly amused when I hear “scumbag” used by little old ladies and other innocents … is that really what it refers to? \*\* ☹ And here I was, hoping for scintillating discourse on all things scumbag, and am disappointed. Well, it is off-topic, but I expected more of you people. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-homer-simpson-really-say-wankers-does-no-one-in-the-usa-know-what-it-means/170007/71 "2003-04-23T18:45:48Z")
All this talk about the wanking Simpsons, and not one mention of Lenny calling Carl a “jerkoff”? ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-homer-simpson-really-say-wankers-does-no-one-in-the-usa-know-what-it-means/170007/72 "2003-04-23T18:52:34Z")
Having accessed the OED via my county library’s website, I can assert that, yes, “scumbag” does carry the meaning of condom, but said meaning is of relatively recent vintage - the first recorded usage of scum to mean “semen” dates from 1967, with scumbag meaning “condom” (not necessarily used) from 1968. “Scumbag” as term of abuse dates from 1971. ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-homer-simpson-really-say-wankers-does-no-one-in-the-usa-know-what-it-means/170007/73 "2003-04-23T20:31:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by asterion \* > \*\* > What do the Brits think of Shaggy in _Scooby-Doo_? \*\* To hell with Shaggy – what do they think of _Scooby?_ A half-talking dog with the last name of “Doo”? Good lord. ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-homer-simpson-really-say-wankers-does-no-one-in-the-usa-know-what-it-means/170007/74 "2003-04-23T20:36:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by whiterabbit \* > **Interesting that fanny is a fairly innocent descriptive word on both sides, but describing such very different body parts. I can’t think of a “cute” American equivalent to the British “fanny.” I could see using fanny in the American sense in front of my grandma, but not otherwise! 🙂** I used to avoid swearing in front of older people until I thought about it logically. Being several times my age, they’ve probably heard or said everything under the sun. Why, then, should _I_ be embarrassed to use bad words in front of them? So now I say “fuck” in front of the 68-year-old lady I work with. She doesn’t bat an eye. ---
**Author:** ![Alto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Alto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alto)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-homer-simpson-really-say-wankers-does-no-one-in-the-usa-know-what-it-means/170007/75 "2003-04-23T20:58:29Z")
Since “Fanny” apparently has some actual shock value in England still, what is it like for an English person to read something like Jane Austen’s _Mansfield Park_, where the extremely virtuous heroine is named Fanny? Does the other meaning keep intruding? I think I’d find it very difficult to enjoy the book if the heroine was called Vagina Price. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-homer-simpson-really-say-wankers-does-no-one-in-the-usa-know-what-it-means/170007/76 "2003-04-23T21:46:05Z")
Cuss words just don’t carry the weight if not in their native tongue. Chenga is the Mexican slang for fuck, my dad used to say “cheng’ered” (pronounced “chingered”) as a way to say “fucked up” when I was a kid, but he never really said “fuck” around me until I was grown. He also said it around my mom, who loathed the word “fuck”. As for British Slang…bloody was the only one that really had me baffled. I didn’t realize it was as strong as it is. So on TV here we can call somebody a Bloody Wanker, but can’t say tits. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-homer-simpson-really-say-wankers-does-no-one-in-the-usa-know-what-it-means/170007/77 "2003-04-24T02:25:40Z")
**Olentzero** , my hero! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-homer-simpson-really-say-wankers-does-no-one-in-the-usa-know-what-it-means/170007/78 "2003-04-24T04:03:08Z")
And what about the suspense novel, _Fanny by Gaslight_, by English author Michael Sadleir (1888-1957)? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-homer-simpson-really-say-wankers-does-no-one-in-the-usa-know-what-it-means/170007/79 "2003-04-24T05:08:45Z")
Censorship on Comedy Central is DEEPLY weird. They bleep everything, including ‘god’ (when used as a profanity), at certain hours. But yes, Chapelle says ‘nigger’ more than he says ‘the.’ People here got - if they didn’t know already - what ‘shag’ meant to Austin. But to Americans, it now means something more like ‘screw,’ whereas the British (and former colonies) take it to mean ‘fuck,’ - obviously more profane. If he’d been saying ‘fuck’ the whole movie, there’d have been a situation. But instead, he used what was seen as a dated, quaint euphemism. That didn’t carry in places more familiar with the term. I’m told that in Singapore, ex-British colony, they changed the title because it was too vulgar (would you take the kids to “The Spy Who Fucked Me?”). Best British slang experience I ever had was some time last year when a friend of mine misused the word bugger after quoting Dr. Evil. Another pal used it in proper context, and a lot of confusion resulted. Finally, someone had to explain to the poor sap what buggering is. His reply was “THAT’S what buggering means? I thought it just meant, you know, bugging people.” I was just glad he hadn’t gotten himself into real trouble. Mike Myers seems to be just MANGLING British slang. Weird, since his parents are English (and he’s Canadian). I wonder if he doesn’t understand, or doesn’t care? ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-homer-simpson-really-say-wankers-does-no-one-in-the-usa-know-what-it-means/170007/80 "2003-04-24T12:22:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Marley23 \* > \*\*Mike Myers seems to be just MANGLING British slang. Weird, since his parents are English (and he’s Canadian). I wonder if he doesn’t understand, or doesn’t care? \*\* I think he knows what he’s saying, but that he’s taking advantage of the general ignorance among American audiences of these terms, just to see how far he can get before they catch on to what he’s saying. Does anyone remember his SNL character Simon–the British kid who sat in his bathtub doing “drawerings”? He’d constantly call the audience “bum monkeys.” It was hilarious. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-homer-simpson-really-say-wankers-does-no-one-in-the-usa-know-what-it-means/170007.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-homer-simpson-really-say-wankers-does-no-one-in-the-usa-know-what-it-means/170007.md?page=5)