h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I came across a guide entry for "Townies" and was amazed that it has such diffent meanings. Here in the US, I was a townie at college - because I grew up and still lived in town. That is to say I was not from a far away place and only going to school here.

The guide entry seems to make Townies sound like homeboys.

I orriginally come from a small village on the England / Wales boarder where 'Townies' is used to describe anyone who moves into the village and then starts complaining about the hazards of living in the country. For example when one of the local farmers used the road through the village to take food out to his cows during a very wet winter. Then drove back through the village with mud on his tractors wheels. This caused a small group of new residents to start a campaign to make him sweep up the road after him, and have there after been refered to by various locals as (and I quote) ...."those ruddy townies".

Where I come from, Rugby in the Midlands, 'Townie' is unfortunately a very derogatory term. It means those 13-25 year olds who go to really bad night-clubs that play pop and dance music, and wear tracksuits and really obviously branded sports clothes, drink Stella and have a serious attitude problem with anyone else who breathes. Also they all get tooled up for a night out with expensive nunchukas and boccans and so forth which they have no idea how to use and end up hurting themselves. It's actually quite funny to watch.