Wally is a British English expression referring to a "silly or inept person",[1] which later developed into an umbrella term for "vulnerable individuals".[2]

It is thought to have originated at a pop festival in the late 1960s or early 1970s; many sources suggest the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival. On hearing the name "Wally" being announced many times over a loudspeaker, the crowd took it up as a chant,[1] and random shouts of "Wally" were subsequently heard at rock concerts all over Britain.[3] It was still being called out at the 1979 Led Zeppelin Knebworth Concerts.[4]

In 1974 a group of new age travellers were encamped near Stonehenge, and to help hinder the process of eviction by the landowners, all gave their name as Wally of Wessex,[5] "Wally being a conveniently anonymous umbrella for vulnerable individuals".[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "wally" Oxford Dictionaries. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  2. ^ a b Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition. wally, n.2 citing "1974 Times 8 Aug. 2/4"
  3. ^ Nigel Ayers. Where's Wally, Retrieved 2009-01-26
  4. ^ Zarans, Dena (10 December 2007). "Led Zeppelin - Knebworth '79 - More Of Your Memories". Uncut. Retrieved 1 June 2017. A special thing that I remember is that one person out in the dark night first shouted 'Wally' and then a lot people shouted back 'Bloody Wally' and that continued for hours.
  5. ^ Howard, Philip (1988). Winged Words, p. 5. Hamilton. ISBN 9780241123508, 024112350X. Google Books. Retrieved 10 June 2023.

Further reading

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