Collegiate "geek" in the '70s (was Re: Synonymy avoidance)

[Jonathan Lighter]

The limited evidence suggests that "dick" was indeed the original meaning of "dork," presumably during the late 40s.

JL

Wilson Gray <wilson.gray at RCN.COM> wrote:
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Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Wilson Gray
Subject: Re: Collegiate "geek" in the '70s (was Re: Synonymy avoidance)
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>---------------------- Information from the mail header
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>Sender: American Dialect Society
>Poster: Michael McKernan
>Subject: Re: Collegiate "geek" in the '70s (was Re: Synonymy avoidance)
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>
>Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>
>>Sorry, but "dork" never means "guy who bites heads off live chickens" and
>>"geek" often does.
>>
>
>Often? Historically, of course, I would agree. But today, in 'natural
>speech', I would suppose that 'often' would be a gross exaggeration, and
>that the great majority of speakers/writers using geek have no idea about
>the chicken bit.
>
>But perhaps I'm wrong, I've been so before...
>
>And I'm still wondering why no one has chimed in with a positive definition
>or other comment on dork. Is the word just too dorky?

Well, here's an "other comment." I first heard "dork" in 1959 while
serving in the Army at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. The speaker was a G.I.
named Gewinner who came from somewhere in Illinois. He used the word
"dork" with "penis" as its only meaning. If that's dork's original
meaning, perhaps - I'm stabbing in the dark [pun intended; "dork" and
"dark" fall together as "dark" in St. Louis, where I grew up] here -
perhaps that somehow blocks its complete melioration.

-Wilson


>
>I actually don't have any personal stake in the meaning of geek, dork,
>nerd; and it may well be that the geek/nerd pair has a greater affinity due
>to a tendency to elevate them into positive status (which AFAIK, dork does
>lack).
>
>Still, I find the trio quite interesting, especially since I've just
>experienced their appearance as a duo/trio in a Vonage online advertisement
>(as partially noted in my original post). My curiousity, however, need not
>match anyone else's, though I'll match my ignorance against all comers...
>
>Michael McKernan


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