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the passage is from Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth. What 2 Trevs stand for?

GINGER. I’m a DJ.

JOHNNY. He’s an unemployed plasterer.

PROFESSOR. I see. Are you pure or applied?

GINGER ( to the PROFESSOR) . Just a tick, mate. ( To JOHNNY . ) Since, right, I’m pencilled in second if 2 Trevs pulls out today, from the car park of The Cooper’s at sunset. I got my records in the car. ( To the PROFESSOR . ) Sorry. You were saying.

PROFESSOR. A DJ, eh?

GINGER. That’s right, mate.

In another part:

GINGER. I fucking am. Possibly. I’m standby DJ at The Cooper’s.

WESLEY. Are you?

GINGER. Yes I fucking am. I spoke to Sue.

WESLEY. She never said nothing. When?

GINGER. Last week. I’m back-up for 2 Trevs. If the 2 Trevs can’t make it, or, say, one or both of the Trevs is ill.

WESLEY. I just spoke to them, they’re fine. They’re on their way.

GINGER. Right. But, what if they, you know… LEE. Get lost?

DAVEY. Crash?

LEE. Have a fight. Musical differences.

GINGER. Or food poisoning. One of them could eat a dodgy burger.

LEE. They’re called 2 Trevs. There’s two Trevs. So if one Trev eats a dodgy burger. There’s a spare Trev.

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    "2 Trevs" is probably the name that another DJ is known by, the same way that Bruce Morrow of WABC-770 NYC in the 1970s was known as "Cousin Brucie".
    – Jeff Zeitlin
    Nov 13, 2020 at 13:01
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    Presumably an act consisting of two men called Trevor.
    – Kate Bunting
    Nov 13, 2020 at 13:14
  • @KateBunting - Yes, that's more likely; my original comment was posted before the querent added the "In another part:..."
    – Jeff Zeitlin
    Nov 13, 2020 at 13:17

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"Trev" is a common shortening for the name "Trevor". It's an anglicised spelling of a Welsh name.

They’re called 2 Trevs. There’s two Trevs. So if one Trev eats a dodgy burger. There’s a spare Trev.

So there is an act called '2 Trevs' comprising of two men both called Trevor.

Speaking as a British native, certain shortened names are synonymous (rightly or wrongly) with working-class people. Unlike widely accepted shortened names like 'Tom' (Thomas), 'John' (Jonathan) or 'Frank' (Francis) which can sometimes be used as given names anyway, shortenings like 'Daz' (Darren), 'Kev' (Kevin), 'Trev'(Trevor) and 'Dave'(David) are viewed more as 'nicknames', the kind used by close friends in very informal settings. This may have been in the mind of the writer when characterising the "two Trevs".

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    I agree, except that John and Jonathan (note spelling) are separate names with their origins in the Bible. The latter may be abbreviated to Jon (without an 'h').
    – Kate Bunting
    Nov 13, 2020 at 15:29
  • @KateBunting Yes, I believe I mentioned that they can all be names in their own right. But some people called Johnathan do shorten it to 'John'.
    – Astralbee
    Nov 13, 2020 at 15:39
  • It just seemed odd to refer to one of the commonest male names in the English language as a shortened name which 'can sometimes' be used as a given name. I will accept that the non-traditional spelling Johnathan could be abbreviated thus.
    – Kate Bunting
    Nov 13, 2020 at 16:55
  • I've never seen 'Johnathan' spelled like that.
    – Michael Harvey
    Nov 13, 2020 at 17:42
  • @MichaelHarvey It is an Americanism, apparently an amalgamation of the usual spelling of 'Jonathan' and 'John'. My point is that some people who are named Jonathan (any spelling) go by the name 'John' (or 'Jon') and they may use it professionally. It is not considered informal or a 'nickname'.
    – Astralbee
    Nov 14, 2020 at 12:50

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