# why is a putz a wally? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 27, 2004, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-putz-a-wally/261815 "2004-08-27T17:22:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2004, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-putz-a-wally/261815/21 "2004-08-28T15:57:15Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Once again, “Wally” plagiarized that piece. Not so cool actually. > > Haj I just wanted to point out that ANGLE says putz in that as well… > [@](#): > > Angel4: NO, Wally, for crissakes I’m not having any coffee! I mean MMMMMMMMMM…Like…“I’M EXCITED”…do you get it? Can you possibly freaking keep up here, you **putz**? ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2004, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-putz-a-wally/261815/22 "2004-08-28T18:48:01Z")
While “putz” may have been Wally’s favorite epithet on the board, of course it’s not original with him; it’s a Yiddish word that roughly translates to “idiot.” Wally got a lot of use out of it as punctuation, to underscore in a subtle way that whoever he was responding to was perhaps, um, lacking in understanding. In his time on the board Wally was greatly appreciated and perhaps even beloved; he was an active member of this community. When he left us, there was a feeling of loss and grief. There’s been a lot of discussion since those times concerning Wally; there is much about his life outside of this community that is not clear and not known. The old line “On the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog” seems to apply here. We take one another on faith pretty much, on the belief that people are as they appear to be. In the semi-intimacy of cyberspace, it is easy to believe. Pending definitive answers from unimpeachable sources, we’ll never really know. Speculation or opinion is not helpful and in this situation actually hurtful to those people that liked Wally and considered him a friend. Give your fellow Dopers a break and give this subject a rest, please. We would also ask that you not repost links to anyplace else that has “Wally in cyberspace;” there is evidence that the roots of the piece did not originate with Wally and we do not have right of republication from the copyright holder. We have no control over what goes on outside this site, but we have been specifically asked not to republish. your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2004, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-putz-a-wally/261815/23 "2004-08-28T22:01:15Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > There’s been a lot of discussion since those times concerning Wally; there is much about his life outside of this community that is not clear and not known. The old line “On the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog” seems to apply here. We take one another on faith pretty much, on the belief that people are as they appear to be. In the semi-intimacy of cyberspace, it is easy to believe. > > Pending definitive answers from unimpeachable sources, we’ll never really know. Speculation or opinion is not helpful and in this situation actually hurtful to those people that liked Wally and considered him a friend. Give your fellow Dopers a break and give this subject a rest, please. > your humble TubaDiva > Administrator Quite frankly, having a permanent memorial to him in the form of the Wally smiley means you’ll never be rid of the questions concerning him and his seemingly odd demise. I’m not saying to remove or rename it, but get used to answering (or at least seeing) periodic questions concerning a fascinating subject. Especially as new people find out about it. Which they are bound to do, from time to time. No, I’m not trying to stir up shit, just telling it like it is. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2004, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-putz-a-wally/261815/24 "2004-08-29T13:44:10Z")
I was here when **WallyM7** was here. I think maybe we talked about motorcycles, but I don’t remember. The SDMB was a different place back then. Debates were more acrimonious. Personally, I think it was more fun when name-calling was allowed. (But that’s just my opinion. I have no desire to debate it.) Which brings me to a question: **Wally M7** was, obviously, calling people putzes. He did it a lot; hence, the smiley. On the current “kinder, gentler” boards, would he have been called – or possibly banned – for that? ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2004, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-putz-a-wally/261815/25 "2004-08-29T13:55:37Z")
**Johnny** , when I was brand new here, I was involved in a heated GD where I was actually personally attacked. I responded using the wally smiley in my posts. And I was WARNED! Yeah, the other person involved ended up banned, but use of the :wally got me warned, even though I used it in response to hate speech directed towards me. So… I would venture a non-mod guess that his ‘style’ wouldn’t be tolerated on the Dope I know. However, that’s just a WAG. ---
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2004, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-putz-a-wally/261815/26 "2004-08-29T19:46:13Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > it’s a Yiddish word that roughly translates to “idiot.” I believe it more closely translates to “penis.” However, of course, it is used as a generic insult, the same way “dick” is. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2004, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-putz-a-wally/261815/27 "2004-08-29T19:55:51Z")
Apropos of nothing, _putzen_ is german for “to clean”. ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2004, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-putz-a-wally/261815/28 "2004-08-29T20:53:04Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > On the current “kinder, gentler” boards, would he have been called – or possibly banned – for that? Warned. He’d adjust, though, unlike, say Collounsbury. I remember those acrimonious debates, too. IMO, the net effect of the enforced courtesy is more ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2004, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-putz-a-wally/261815/29 "2004-08-29T21:04:33Z")
> [@furt](#): > > Warned. He’d adjust, though, unlike, say Collounsbury. > > I remember those acrimonious debates, too. IMO, the net effect of the enforced courtesy is more ignorance. And, the net effect of unenforced courtesy would be what?..anarchy? ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2004, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-putz-a-wally/261815/30 "2004-08-29T23:11:29Z")
No, just more clever ways of veiling insults. What, you think you can FORCE people to be polite? ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-putz-a-wally/261815/31 "2004-08-30T04:12:42Z")
Force is such an ugly word. We do encourage civility. Sometimes and some places on this board we absolutely insist on it. your humble TubaDiva Administrator Be nice, dammit. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2004, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-putz-a-wally/261815/32 "2004-08-31T18:04:58Z")
See, now what I most remember about Wally was how he would be watching things go south in one thread or another and pipe up with a ‘play nice’ at just the right moment. It was always the gentlest touch at the key moment, never pious or jr modish. I truly miss the guy. Sometimes I still hear his voice in my head, reading threads, thinking to myself, this thread needs a little wally! I had heard nothing about things being plagiarized or the death being faked. I’m just going to pretend I never heard that. ---
**Author:** ![SnakeSpirit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snakespirit/32/7271_2.png) [@SnakeSpirit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakeSpirit)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2004, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-putz-a-wally/261815/33 "2004-09-29T00:16:49Z")
> [@Loopus](#): > > I believe it more closely translates to “penis.” However, of course, it is used as a generic insult, the same way “dick” is. That is my (N.Y.) understanding as well, **Loopus**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-putz-a-wally/261815.md?page=1)