** Click here for Episode 145 **
Fire in the hold! It’s a question from Keith in Goole, Yorkshire:
In 1968 I was a member of the Sea Cadet Corps in Goole when one evening we were having training regarding dealing with fire on board a ship. Our instructor, an ex-Royal Navy man, said that if we ever discovered a fire we should go smartly to the nearest fire alarm, grab the handle AND WANK IT!!!. These last words were actually emphasized by the officer with an accompanying hand gesture like that of pulling a pint.
At this point, twenty or so adolescent sea cadets hopelessly struggled to contain their laughter whilst the instructor harangued us asking what we found so funny. In all other respects this man was well respected by us, so I believed that wanking a handle in the Royal Navy must be OK.
Answer me this: is it or has it ever been acceptable to use use the term ‘wank’ in any proper adult conversation?
Well, Keith, if you were old enough to be conscious in 1968, and we met and conversed about it, it would be a highly proper adult conversation. SURELY.
Meanwhile, if any of the rest of you upstanding citizens of the web know of any use of the word ‘wank’ which is not the obvious, put it into a nice sentence then put that nice sentence into a comment on this post.
Subscribe with iTunes • Listen to episodes • Question Archive • FAQ
• App • Facebook • Twitter • Merch Superstore • YouTube Channel •
Answer Me This! Podcast 
August 14, 2015 at 8:05 pm |
in the 40s and 50s when you started a cars engine with a handle at the front, it was called Wanking the handle.
October 27, 2013 at 8:09 pm |
in about 1975 i went on a career orientation visit to HMS portsmouth for a few days. The Chief Petty Officer showing us around definitely told us about a telephone that “if you wank the handle and call the officer on duty will reply”.
September 6, 2010 at 10:03 am |
I suspect he said “yank” and was misheard. It seems to match the hand action, and also would explain said instructors confusion.
August 20, 2010 at 6:30 am |
Wankdorf in Switzerland is appropriate.
Both of my grandfathers used the word “hump” as a non-tandre. Mother’s father “humped coal” as a young man to make money and my father’s father told us to “hump the pot” while he was teaching us how to raise stakes at poker.
August 20, 2010 at 1:22 am |
The man who did the music on Buffy the Vampire Slayer is called Thomas Wanker. Does that count?
August 19, 2010 at 10:06 am |
It’ll certainly get odd looks every time, and maybe a gasp as well if there’s parents and children around…