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

Ah. well in that case, the answer to your question a few posts back is pretty much 'yes'.

A 'Wally' is a silly sort of person. Used in front of children to allow them to maintain a modicum of innocence. Silly billy is also appropriate.

An except from, 'Parenting 101.'

An ExceRpt

An ExeRpt

I'll spell it right, one day.

Gosho asked whether Waldo was a mild term of abuse a few posts back. I have the same question about 'Kevin' in the UK? I heard a news story where it was compared to 'dork' in the US, but have never heard 'Kevin' used in that way. (this will be very handy since I have two friends named Kevin!

I have a friend called Kevin too, and he's a real nice bloke

I don't think that 'Kevin' is a term of abuse as such, but it might be used by some (Daily Mail readers, for example) to describe a certain type of person - probably a working class 'boy racer' in his late teens or early twenties. His female equivalent is 'Sharon', who is not an Israeli president but an unrefined working class girl. Kevin's best mate is Wayne and Sharon goes clubbing with Tracey (have we mentioned the phrase 'Essex Girl' before?).

For the record I know a Kevin who is a respectable middle-aged poet and sportsman, which just goes to show that you can't trust stereotypes.

The name 'Kevin' also has the stroppy teenager connotations it acquired thanks to Harry Enfield's Kevin and Perry characters.

Now that you describe it that way PFerrs I do recall the story was about Mexico and what working class or unrefined people were called there and how a t-shirt line was developed to capitalize on it as a slogan. Only I don't remember the Spanish term.

Now what in the heck is a 'boy racer'?

A boy racer is a young bloke who possesses a car upon which he lavishes more loving attention than any girl could ever demand from him. He will fit spoilers to the back and the roof, he will extend the front bumper down to within a quarter-inch of the road surface, he will tint all the windows and the headlights, plate over the doorhandles, fit wide tyres and flared wheel arches, put a large bump on the bonnet and an evil-looking grille on the front, and spray the car in whatever colour scheme he believes makes him look coolest. He will tune the engine to make a noise like a blue whale with a severe gastric problem. If he is up with the latest fashion, it seems, he will fit blue LEDs for that trendy UFO look.

If he doesn't kill you by flattening you as he squeals around the streets at 90mph, the bassline from his car stereo will cause sufficient seismic disturbance for your house to fall on top of you.


He is, in short, a sad git.

"Now what in the heck is a 'boy racer'?"

I would have said Jeff Gordon.
Seems I would have been right

'boy racer' in the UK

'tuner' in the US

(I worked on a project designing packaging for clutches marketed to these guys and had to steep myself in 'tuner' culture...I since been deprogramed)

Laughably, the car in question will usually be a 1990 Fiesta, worth about £200, to which he will have fitted a stereo worth four times as much.

Yes, a boy racer at work was just yesterday proudly showing everyone his newly-purchased geriatric Renault...

Surely, I always think, it would be much cooler spending the same amount of money on a nice car. One that doesn't need to be suped-up.

Proving that you are, obviously, not a 'boy racer'