Sentence:  — Well, last year I used to have a friend Charley [Charley was in the top sets for English, mathematics and French] but this year he doesn't speak to me any more and every time I see him he's hanging around with <WSD>boffins</WSD> like. When I go round to his house, now and again, he's always got his 'O' level and 'A' level books open and he's always concentrating on his work. Hanging around with <WSD>boffins</WSD>. / — What are <WSD>boffins</WSD>? / — People who work. Stay in all the time. Never go out, go down the town or nothin. And always get good letters home and pats on the back by teachers. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A person with specialized knowledge or skills, especially one who is socially awkward;  an intellectual; a smart person.