Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. pretentious.

1923		‘Bartimeus’ ‘A Man in the Making’ in Seaways 181: ‘Wanky Willy,’ the First Lieutenant who sometimes drank rather more port than was good for him – anyhow, when there was an ‘occasion.’.
1972		K. Bonfiglioli Don’t Point that Thing at Me 173: I was now quite calm, the wanky old avenger preparing to kill his man.
1979		Nat. Times (Aus.) 15 Dec. 4: It was not a wanky actor thing of saying I became the character. It was a case of being the character. There was no way out.
1987		K. Lette Girls’ Night Out 103: There's nothing wankier than sitting around calling everybody a wanker.
1992		Sydney Star Observer 21 Geb. 36: How does it feel to be one of the beautiful people? [...] Davis: Had this question not been so wanky I'd have said it was a privilege.
2000		Observer Rev. 26 Mar. 3: Big bowls of salad ... not wanky stuff.
2010		L. Redhead Thrill City [ebook] I dunno. Sounds wanky, but [I wanted] to help people.
2012		(con. 1980s) I. Welsh Skagboys 206: I ken it sounds wanky, but we meet up [...] get a bit stoned and read each other’s shit.

2. covered in post-masturbatory semen.

c.1940

‘These Foolish Things’ in Bold (1979) 212: A wanky hanky in a London taxi / Rude noises coming from a horse’s jacksey.

3. inferior, second-rate.

1989		M. Dibdin Tryst 35: As usual, there were wanky patches where character was established and plot developed.
1999		Observer Rev. 29 Aug. 9: I could fall off the face of this wanky little planet.
2000		Guardian 25 Jan. 18: It’s just a big tit on the landscape built by wanky tossers.

4. sexually titillating, conducive to masturbation.

1976

cited in Partridge DSUE (1984).

5. (US juv.) crazy.

1987		G.A. Fine With the Boys 169: Wanky, adj. Crazy, foolish, silly.
2000		P. Howard Miseducation of Ross O’Carroll-Kelly (2004) 236: I go, ‘For Fehily! For Rock! For God!’ which probably sounds a bit wanky, roysh.