Wide boy

Wide boy

Wide boy is a British term for a man who lives by his wits, wheeling and dealing. According to the Oxford English Dictionary it is synonymous with spiv. Newspapers of the late 1940s and 1950s often use both terms in the same article about the same person when dealing with ticket touts, fraudsters and black market traders. It has become more generally used to describe a dishonest trader or a petty criminal who works by guile rather than force.

Origin

The word came to public attention in 1937 with the publication of "Wide Boys Never Work" by Robert Westerby, [Robert Westerby (1937). "Wide Boys Never Work". London: Arthur Barker] a novel about gamblers and hustlers. During World War II such individuals became involved in the black market, but the term only began to appear in newspapers from 1947. ["People", 22 June 1947] ["Daily Mirror", 14 October 1947]

Fictional portrayals

Del Boy from "Only Fools and Horses", Flash Harry from the St Trinian's books and movies, Private Walker from "Dad's Army", Arthur Daley from "Minder" and Harry Robinson from "The Ladykillers" are all fictional examples of the wide boy type. The wheeler-dealer cockney second hand car salesman Terry Tibbs, a fictitious comedy character from Channel 4's "Fonejacker", is another example.

Musical references

The Kinks referred to the term in the lyrics to their song "Scum of the Earth" on their 1974 album "". [The lyrics read "For even wide boys, hoods and spivs / Have got the right to live."] This is an early usage of the term in a modern rock and roll song. Kinks songwriter Ray Davies later used the term again in his song "Stand Up Comic."

Ultravox released the song "Wide Boys" on their eponymous first LP in 1977. The 1980s rock band Foghat had a popular song [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV9lELStLXw|"Wide Boy"] on their 1981 "Girls to Chat Boys to Bounce" album, and Godley and Creme released a single of the same title in 1980 which was to start their careers in video direction. Kevin Mooney, formerly of Adam and the Ants, formed the short-lived band Wide Boy Awake in 1982 who disbanded after a couple of EPs. Nik Kershaw also released a single called "Wide Boy" in 1984, making Top Ten in the UK. Marillion (with Fish) released "Heart of Lothian" on the 1985 album "Misplaced Childhood", in which the lyrics mention "Wide boys, we were wide boys, born with hearts of Lothian, these hearts of Lothian."

Other usage

"Wide boys" is used humorously but now commonly to refer to wingers in Association, Gaelic or Rugby Football. ["Why England boss Bobby Robson is looking for wide boys", "Daily Mirror", 6 April 1984, p.30] ["Hey presto, defenders were held and the French wide boys streaked over twice", "Daily Telegraph", 3 March 2003]

References

ee also

*Underground economy
*Teddy Boy


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