'Laddishness' is central to the current discourse on boys' 'underachievement', with 'laddish' behaviours being seen by many people as an impediment to the progress of some boys in school. The article attempts to demonstrate how self-worth theory may complement and extend our understandings of 'laddish' behaviours, which are currently informed by theories of masculinities. More specifically, it is argued that it may be the case that for some secondary school boys, the construct of 'laddishness' acts as a self-worth protection strategy - protecting self-worth both from the implications of a lack of ability and from the implications of being seen to be feminine. The argument is developed by comparing characteristics of key self-worth protection or self-handicapping strategies with the behaviours reported by teachers, pupils and researchers to be characteristics of 'laddish' behaviour.