> I've been told by a friend of Hitchens that, "Wide Boy, " that was
> his retort back to GG, is Brit slang for gay.
Not in any circles I've ever moved in, and I've lived in the UK for most of my life -- and (more importantly) not according to either of the definitions offered by the invaluable Urban Dictionary:
1. wideboy
A guy about town. Someone who is a bit of ladies-man! Likes the party lifestyle! Into a few dodgy dealings but still is popular and trendy.
E.g. "He's a bit of a jack-the-lad, or a wideboy some mite say!"
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=wideboy&r=f
And
1. wide boy
Wide boy ususally refers to a working class male who lives in London, and who lives by their wits and wheeler dealings....
E.g. "That Terry Venables is such a wide boy"
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=wide+boy
But perhaps words have different meanings in the circle of Christopher Hitchens and his friends.
Chris