Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Boffin (2nd nomination)

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep. Nomination withdrawn DGG ( talk ) 07:22, 24 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Boffin

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Apparent flagrant violation of WP:NAD. This is evidenced by its references as the OED and Urban Dictionary. There is no reasonable place to move/merge any of this in Wikipedia as it basically all amounts to trivia. At best a tiny amount of the "origins" section of this article belongs in the otherwise empty Wiktionary etymology. Teply (talk) 17:40, 17 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Keep We have separate articles for nerd, geek, egghead and anorak (slang) which are all quite similar and so it seems that this class of words is among those allowed for by WP:NAD: "In some cases, a word or phrase itself may be an encyclopedic subject". As examples of sources which discuss this type in detail see Typical Men: The Representation of Masculinity in Popular British Cinema; Churchill's War Lab: Code Breakers, Boffins and Innovators; Movers And Shakers: A Chronology of Words That Shaped Our Age. These approach the topic in various ways: cinematic stereotypes; wartime history; influential words, and so demonstrate a depth of coverage which satisfies WP:GNG. Warden (talk) 18:32, 17 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The other words you list, I (mostly) agree, may have some generally notable encyclopedic value because of the connotation of those words, which is explained in those articles. On the other hand, as far as I can tell, "boffin" is just used in verbatim exchange for "scientist/engineer" with no particular connotation that needs explaining, sort of like how "grand" to mean 1000 units of currency is not an encyclopedic article. An example of this verbatim exchange is in the very title you mention, Churchill's War Lab: Code Breakers, Boffins and Innovators. Teply (talk) 19:15, 17 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Keep - "boffin" is a notable British term, which has a slightly different meaning than just "scientist". CodeTheorist (talk) 19:22, 17 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Here are some more sources which further demonstrate particular connotations:

The role of The Boffin as abject Other in gendered performances of school achievement

The Boffin: a stereotype of scientists in post-war British films (1945-1970)

The Natural History of the Boffin

Warden (talk) 21:16, 17 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

OK, I guess I wasn't familiar with the "film stereotype" connotation. I won't withdraw my nomination, but I'm less concerned now. Teply (talk) 01:56, 18 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Keep - Not the best article in Wikipedia but worthy of inclusion as a notable slang term in many English speaking countries. I don't accept that it violates WP:NAD, only the first short sentence is concerned with defining 'boffin' (the job of a dictionary), the rest talks about the etymology of the word and discusses some renowned boffins.--Ykraps (talk) 18:48, 17 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Note: This debate has been included in the list of United Kingdom-related deletion discussions. • Gene93k (talk) 00:02, 18 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Note: This debate has been included in the list of Language-related deletion discussions. • Gene93k (talk) 00:03, 18 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Keep Article goes beyond dictionary definition by discussing its connotations, the origin of the word, and its cultural role. References show the term is widely used and there's sufficient discussion of the term in popular and scholarly media to allow an article to be written that goes well beyond dictionary def. --Colapeninsula (talk) 10:52, 18 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Save Boffin from the coffin. Articles like Bimbo or boffin? Women in science ... and Let luvvie embrace boffin in the digital future suggest it has acquired sufficient stature for its own page. Clarityfiend (talk) 09:30, 19 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Keep A term that can sometimes (in British newspaper headlines) simply be a synonym for scientist or engineer but, as per several preceding contributors to this discussion, almost always carries a mixture of positive and negative connotations (such as brilliant, unworldly, socially inept). A further couple of possible references:

Jennifer Quinn (27 May 2004). "In defence of the boffin". BBC News Online Magazine.

Dyer, Nicole (2004). "Rebirth of the Boffin". Popular Science. 265 (Sep 2004). Bonner Corporation: 160. ISSN 0161-7370. -- PWilkinson (talk) 15:27, 23 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.