Wide boy
Wide boy is a British term for a man who lives by his wits, wheeling and dealing. According to the
An early use of the term was in the 1933 film Friday the Thirteenth, where the character, played by Max Miller, a loud, quick-witted, Cockney market trader, is heard to say "I'm the widest boy ever put on a pair of shoes!"
The term came to public attention in 1937 with the publication of Wide Boys Never Work by Robert Westerby,[3] 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.[4][5]
Fictional portrayals
Fictional wheeler-dealer characters such as Del Boy from Only Fools and Horses, Frank Butcher from "EastEnders", Private Walker from Dad's Army, Jim London from Up the Elephant and Round the Castle, Vincent Swan from White Gold, and
Musical references
In Richard Thompson's song "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight", on the album of the same name by Richard and Linda Thompson (1974), the lyrics include the line "The wide boys are all spoiling for a fight". When he performs the song live, Thompson often changes it to "big boys".
Other usage
"Wide boys" is used humorously but now commonly to refer to
See also
- Underground economy
- Teddy Boy
- Confidence trick
- Dave Courtney
References
- ^ a b Oxford English Dictionary accessed 13 Dec 2010
- ^ Benney, M. (1936). Low Company. London: P. Davies
- ^ Robert Westerby (1937). Wide Boys Never Work. London: Arthur Barker
- ^ People, 22 June 1947
- ^ Daily Mirror, 14 October 1947.
- ^ The lyrics read "For even wide boys, hoods and spivs / Have got the right to live."
- ^ "Why England boss Bobby Robson is looking for wide boys", Daily Mirror, 6 April 1984, p.30
- Daily Telegraph, 3 March 2003
External links
- London Books: Wide Boys Never Work essay review by Martin Knight, 2008