The Thin End of the Wedgie?

[steepholm]

In Jack Whitehouse's BBC3 vehicle Bad Education, his character (an ineffective teacher) is occasionally given wedgies by one of his tougher pupils. In my day, the wedgie was quite unknown, as were noogies, wet willies and many other similar treats. We made do with dead legs and Chinese burns, and when annoyed would give two fingers, not the niggardly singleton in vogue across the Pond. Of course, I know about wedgies and the rest, for they are the staple of US cartoons and high school drama, but until they appeared on British TV the other day I saw them as exotics.

Was I simply out of date? Have wedgies been imported on the same boat that brought us Trick or Treat, proms and grey squirrels? I assumed so, but my daughter tells me that to her, too, they are distinctively American.

So, the quest begins. Has anyone spotted, perpetrated, or been the victim of a real-life wedgie on this side of the Atlantic?

And, if you can answer that, what about the kancho?

Comments

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

US, 1960s-70s, never experienced, saw, or heard of a "wedgie" under that or any other name until came across the term long after leaving school; took quite some while before I figured out what the term meant.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

It's an odd name, really. If they'd asked me, I'd have suggested "cheese cutter" - but then, they never do.

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

In the slang argot I'm aware of, "to cut the cheese" means "to fart." So if the wedgie resulted in the victim farting, that might be appropriate.