Wack/Whack/Wacker/Whacker (n.): Liverpudlian. ‘If it be true, he must be a wacker e'cod’ (Boulton 1768: 31). ‘“Hey, Whacker!” they said as he passed’ (Kavanagh 1949: 179). ‘The Liverpool whacker who brought us some much-needed laughter’ during the war’ (Egan 1955: 216). ‘Ta-ra, me old whack’ (Hignett 1966: 152). ‘What am I paying you for, wack?’ (Smith 1998 [1971]: 74). ‘The Wackers’ (Title: BBC TV series 1975) ‘Ow much for the trousers, wack?’ (Robinson 1986 [1920s–30s]: 135). ‘[In the 1920s–30s] Whacker was used as a form of greeting between fellow-scousers’ (Garnett 1995: 124). ‘Ha, wacker! Leave the kid alone’ (Kelly 2006 [1930s–40s]: 93). Recorded from 18c.; from the e.20c. this was the term used commonly by Liverpudlians to refer to each other (it displaced Dicky Sam and was in turn replaced by Scouse/ Scouser). Derivation unclear; possibly a combination of ‘whack’, ‘to divide or share’ and ‘whack’, short for paddy whack.

Wagon (n.): bed. ‘Bed. Flock, Wagon, Shitcart’ (Minard 1972: 87). *NR in this sense; presumably from the flat shape.

Walk out (n.): a failure. ‘Walk out (American–English Theatrical, 1890 on). Failure, from the American habit of condemning a bad play before it is over by going home. Reached England by way of Liverpool’ (Ware 1909). Recorded from l.19c.; an extension of the slightly earlier Americanism, ‘to walk out’ (specifically of a performance).

Wallasey lad (n.): derogatory term for male homosexual. ‘Wallasey Lad: homosexual man’ (Lane 1966: 114). ‘E's a Wallasey lad He is a homosexual’ (Spiegl 2000b: 54). *NR; from an e.20c. scandal surrounding a homosexual brothel in Wallasey. Wank (v.): to masturbate. ‘Was it, he asked politely, permitted for the audience to wank during the recital?’ (Melly 1965: 178). ‘I used to wank myself daft’ (Sampson 2001: 101). Recorded from m.20c.; derivation unclear; possibly from l.18c. Scottish ‘whang’, ‘to beat, whip, flog, thrash’; 19c. English dialectal ‘whang’, ‘throw, drive, pull’; or l.19c. Americanism ‘whang’, ‘penis’.