About Opentopia
Opentopia Directory Encyclopedia Tools

Whiz kid

Encyclopedia : W : WH : WHI : Whiz kid

This article is about the stereotypical character. For the computer game, see Wizkid.
The whiz kid is a stock character who is typically intelligent, but lacking in physical strength. In movies, comic strips and other visual mediums, they usually wear glasses and are somewhat overdressed or tout a different in style than the rest of the cast (this often includes button-up shirts, suspenders, and gelled, parted hair).

The whiz kid is usually far more interested in books, science and techology, and more recently the stereotype has taken up interest in computers and the Internet. The whiz kid takes pride in being smart, and often uses big words (sometimes to show off or confuse and manipulate other, less brainy people around them). The whiz kid usually uses his (or her, as the case may be) superior knowledge to help the main characters of a story accomplish some goal. Often the whiz kid is a the hero's sidekick. The whiz kid is sometimes used for comic relief.

The term "whiz kid" can apply to both males and females. Derogatory references include "geeks" and "nerds".

Examples

See also

Notes

  1. Although Daniel Jackson is an adult, he often takes to amazing events with an almost childlike sense of awe. He also fulfills several of the stereotypes relating to whiz kids, such as wearing glasses and being nerdy (the latter is especially true of him in the Stargate film.)
  2. Commander Keen's only resemblance to a whiz kid is his intelligence.

 

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

Search Titles
0123456789
ABCDEFGHIJ
KLMNOPQRST
UVWXYZ?

E-mail this article to:

Personal Message: