Who is Burke anyway?

HarFang · Who is Burke anyway?

Hello everybody!
I just rewatched Earshot, and as usual there is this small detail bugging me, and I can't find any explanation anywhere. When Wesley wonders who is going to get the demon's heart that is needed for Buffy's potion, Giles answers "Burke", meaning Angel.

I assumed this was simply some American cultural reference that I was missing, so I asked my dear friend Wikipedia. And I am still in the dark, so maybe you could help me.
I looked up every "Burke" I could find, and the only one that Giles could possibly be referring to is "the protagonist of a series of novels by Andrew Vachss. He is a career criminal, an orphan raised by the State who was abused throughout his childhood in state institutions and foster homes. Burke lives in New York City, always on the edges of society. He makes his money as an off-the-books investigator, finding runaways, locating criminals for bounty, and other assorted scams."

Is the reference obvious to everybody but me? If it is, can you please tell me who is Burke anyway?!

TwoToGo-Grave

It's just an insult directed at Wesley for acting like a tool, if I'm not mistaken. I think that it was mentioned on the DVD commentary or something.

greengirl00

Yeah, I think you're right. I would have said it was an British thing- slang for an idiot.

ildjarn

The correct spelling is 'berk': http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/berk

Mel

Giles is calling Wesley a berk, which is an idiot. Thats why he says it more or less to himself Smile

beagle

wow, I never noticed that... but I will this time!

HarFang

OooOOops. A huge thank you to you all. TWIZ misspelled that word rather efficiently. Can't believe I went in full research mode for that.

[Reddens]
On second thought...
[Reddens some more]

marvin21st

Some of these are funny http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?page=1&term=berk

TwoToGo-Grave

That's awesome marvin. Oh, and personally, I've never seen 'Trapdoor'.

marvin21st

It was great. This disgruntled cook who made things for the master up stairs out of creepy crawlies that came out of the trap door. Once he left the trap door open and they got everywhere and he splatting them with a fry pan. lots of kiddie fun.