# What does the word 'Wanker' mean in America? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [July 18, 2003, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-word-wanker-mean-in-america/189282 "2003-07-18T01:39:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-word-wanker-mean-in-america/189282/21 "2003-07-18T11:49:25Z")
**naita** That’s what it says in Chamber’s Dictionary English Dictionary, also your source is incorrect in that it says bloody is still an expletive today in the UK, it’s not. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-word-wanker-mean-in-america/189282/22 "2003-07-18T12:03:44Z")
This source doesn’t mention “by my lady” either: [online etymology](http://www.etymonline.com/b4etym.htm) Not having access to OED, since it’s costs money, I can’t say this for sure. But the word detective probably uses this as an authorative source on current use of expletives. While this isn’t accurate I suspect his reference works outweigh Chamber’s on the etymology. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-word-wanker-mean-in-america/189282/23 "2003-07-18T13:16:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MC Master of Ceremonies \* > \*\*I think you mean “wangler”(?), **WotNot** \*\* Then you think wrongly. I said what I meant, and I meant what I said. If it had only been the once, I’d have thought :wally and left it at that, but as I said, I’ve seen it a few times now. Then again, I’ve lost count of the times I’ve seen “teh” used as the definite article, so I don’t necessarily attach any great significance to it. I just thought it was worth mentioning. On another point, we bloody well do use “bloody” as a bloody expletive. If, however, you meant that Word Detective over-estimates the offensiveness of the word to British ears, then I’m in full agreement with you. I’ve never understood this oft-repeated assertion that we in the UK are liable to be shocked by the use of “bloody” – but perhaps I move in vulgar circles. And I don’t believe the “By Our Lady” story, either.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-word-wanker-mean-in-america/189282/24 "2003-07-18T13:46:46Z")
Staff report on “bloody”: [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbloody.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbloody.html) > [@](#): > > As to how offensive the word actually is, well, that depends on whom you ask, or say it in front of. It’s fair to compare it to the “F-word,” in that it may cause your mum to faint, but may cause scarcely a raised eyebrow amongst the gang at the pub. ---
**Author:** ![hammos1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@hammos1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hammos1)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-word-wanker-mean-in-america/189282/25 "2003-07-18T13:50:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Alereon \* > \*\*It means the exact same thing as it does in the UK, someone who masturbates. At least, I’ve never heard any alternate meaning. \*\* WTF? ‘Wanker’ does not mean ‘someone who masturbates’, except where the context clearly indicates so. In the vast majority of cases, it means ‘an irritating or stupid person’- i.e. the person in the cinema speaking loudly on a mobile, the person who cuts you up in traffic. I agree that Cecil’s usage was unusual, from the perspective of register. He used it as if it were an equally mild substitute for something like ‘fool’ or ‘idiot’- but it’s not. To give US readers an idea, imagine if he had used the word ‘c\*nt’ instead- this would have been much worse, of course, but it has the same feeling of being excessive for the circumstances. On a side note, I’ve also noticed that Cecil uses the word ‘arse’ instead of ‘ass’- is this becoming common usage in the US or is it another example of Cecil’s lingustic anglophilia? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-word-wanker-mean-in-america/189282/26 "2003-07-18T14:42:27Z")
We’ve done the bloody/by my lady thing before. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=155819&highlight=bloody](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=155819&highlight=bloody) No evidence that it comes from “by my Lady” or “by our Lady.” The preponderance of the evidence would indicate it doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-word-wanker-mean-in-america/189282/27 "2003-07-18T14:47:41Z")
And of course, we always have brother George’s seven dirty words: [http://www.erenkrantz.com/Humor/SevenDirtyWords.shtml](http://www.erenkrantz.com/Humor/SevenDirtyWords.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2003, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-word-wanker-mean-in-america/189282/28 "2003-07-19T02:57:09Z")
I said it in another thread - we have denotation and connotation. The denotation for wanker is masturbator. That is the origin of the word. The connotation is pathetic loser, an asshole, a right bastard. That is a meaning that grew out of the implication that a perpetual masturbator is a loser. Sort of like the term _asshole_. The denotation is the orifice for waste removal from the human body. The connotation is its application to people who are rude, nasty, evil, etc. Or bastard. It used to mean a child born out of wedlock - back when the concept of legitimacy was an issue. But in today’s world, it has no bearing on anything. Thus the usage of bastard has shifted to mean a creep, a really nasty person, someone who acts horribly. ---
**Author:** ![Bishamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3e96dc/32.png) [@Bishamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bishamon)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-word-wanker-mean-in-america/189282/29 "2003-07-21T05:08:26Z")
> [@](#): > > Or Wanker Draw, a small valley in eastern Wyoming. \*\* Well, whattya know, I’ve lived less than 15 miles from this most of my life and I had no idea that it was out there. We just called it Silver Springs. I always knew the folks living out that way were real wankers, but I guess this proves it. ---
**Author:** ![cajela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cajela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cajela)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-word-wanker-mean-in-america/189282/30 "2003-07-21T08:28:17Z")
The Australian use of “wanker” as an insult is definitely a metaphor. A wanker is gratifying no-one but themself - and most inappropriately, in public. “Wanking”, “having a wank” and the like can of course be used as terms for real masturbation - even in a non-derogatory manner. After all, we all do it, except those of us who lie about it 🙂 But being a wanker here is not the same thing as being a loser, pathetic or otherwise. It has more annoying self-indulgent pretentiousness in it. There are all kinds of losers; a wanker is a very specific type. ---
**Author:** ![Amethyst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@Amethyst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amethyst)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-word-wanker-mean-in-america/189282/31 "2003-07-21T16:30:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ranchoth \* > \*\*Well, here’n ol’ California, it really isn’t a commonly used word at all, and I’d doubt that most people would even know what it means. > > …But, on the other hand, it’s really not too hard for a casual observer to tell that “wanker” isn’t exactly meant as a compliment. I mean, if I said; “Ben Hicks? Ha! What a _noodge!_” it’s still pretty easy to infer that “noodge” is an meant as an insult, even if one doesn’t actually know what “noodge” means. > > And, oddly enough, my _Dictionary of American Slang_ (3rd edition) lists one of the possible definitions for “wanker” as being “Party Animal.” This usage being primarily among “Canadian students” in the 1990s. \*\* Since I graduate from university in Canada in the late 80’s, my knowledge of slang could be wrong, but in my circle of friends, a ‘wanker’ is someone who engages in onanism (and not the coitus interruptus definition of the word) ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-word-wanker-mean-in-america/189282/32 "2003-07-21T22:33:51Z")
_cajela_\*, what do I know, I’m American. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![cajela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cajela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cajela)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-word-wanker-mean-in-america/189282/33 "2003-07-22T00:24:24Z")
Hey, irishman, I didn’t mean to abruptly contradict you. I thought you were talking about American use (or Irish?). I’m no authority there. BTW, Cecil doesn’t use the word in an Australian way. If someone were to do that it would be more like: “Cecil wanks on about the pleasures of mathematics”. The idea of boring intellectual pretentiousness would override any actual masturbation (such as over the image of hot chicks in blue bodypaint) to define which one is the wanker. (No, I don’t actually think Cecil is a wanker, and I deplore this strain of anti-intellectualism. I do not condone, I report.) ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-word-wanker-mean-in-america/189282/34 "2003-07-22T00:41:49Z")
[QUOTE\*\*As to how offensive the word actually is, well, that depends on whom you ask, or say it in front of. It’s fair to compare it to the “F-word,” in that it may cause your mum to faint, but may cause scarcely a raised eyebrow amongst the gang at the pub. \*\*[/QUOTE] This is rubbish. “Bloody” is not comparable to “fuck”. It’s a very mild intensifier, quite unlikely to raise eyebrows. “Bloody hell” is permissible in a work environment. “Fucking hell” is less acceptable. “Wanker” has been used on _The Simpsons_, incidentally. I was very surprised when I heard it used, never realising that Americans didn’t regard the word as taboo. ---
**Author:** ![li\_l\_Dickie\_Dirtz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@li\_l\_Dickie\_Dirtz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/li_l_Dickie_Dirtz)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-word-wanker-mean-in-america/189282/35 "2003-07-24T22:12:41Z")
So, is calling someone a “snogger” in the UK the same as calling someone a “fucker” in America? Or is it not used like that and just used to denote and connote the act and not the person? ---
**Author:** ![li\_l\_Dickie\_Dirtz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@li\_l\_Dickie\_Dirtz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/li_l_Dickie_Dirtz)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-word-wanker-mean-in-america/189282/36 "2003-07-24T22:23:10Z")
Whoops, sorry, I meant “shagger,” not “snogger.” Snog is to kiss. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-word-wanker-mean-in-america/189282/37 "2003-07-25T20:30:50Z")
As any _Married With Children_ fan knows, it’s Peggy Bundy’s maiden name–and her home county in Wisconsin. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-word-wanker-mean-in-america/189282/38 "2003-07-25T23:37:57Z")
‘Shagger’ would mean ‘someone who shags’ if anything. ‘Shag’ may be crude but isn’t an insult the way ‘fuck’ is at all. Neither is ‘snogger’ ‘Bloody’ isn’t really offensive by itself (eg. ‘bloody thing’ may denote extreme exasteration, but I wouldn’t be overly shocked.) But it acts as an intensifier ‘bloody hell’ is so much better than ‘hell’ imho. UKMMV. ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-word-wanker-mean-in-america/189282/39 "2003-07-27T01:21:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by antechinus \* > **I asked an american exchange student this same question recently. He was from Chile. He said that a wanker is a “lazy person”.** 😕 Was he Chilean or American? ---
**Author:** ![Wassup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@Wassup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wassup)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-word-wanker-mean-in-america/189282/40 "2003-07-27T07:15:20Z")
I thought bloody orgiginated from a more offensive backround, namely it referred to something that happens during a woman’s period. Then again, I may be thinking of the Jamaican “boombaclot”(rough spelling) slang word. And no, ‘wanker’ is no where near the level of ‘cunt’ here in America, its basically a meaningless, trying-to-be-amusing kind of kiddin around insult. More on the level of ‘wuss,’ which is like a watered down, kiddin around version of ‘pussy,’ and that there’s a fightin word, boy howdy 😛 Some examples **You:** Come on, jump in man! The water’s fine! **Your Friend:** No way! Its really cold! **You:** Dont be such a wuss/wanker. **You:** Throw the first punch, or pick up that broken beer bottle, if you got the guts. **Your arch-rival(or something):** No way, I’m already on probation! **You:** Whatever you say, you pussy/cunt! Now I may have confused non-Americans with my use of wanker just then. But thats what slang is for. I agree that if you were to use wanker “correctly,” it would be to refer to a guy who is self absorbed, egotistical, and/or not caring of others. But it can be used within any context. And to finish this off, thank you for reading my post, you :wally ! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-word-wanker-mean-in-america/189282.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-word-wanker-mean-in-america/189282.md?page=3)