wonk as a verb

[Laurence Horn]

At 10:45 AM -0400 6/27/08, Benjamin Zimmer wrote:
>  > 1987 _New York Times_ 12 Apr. (Education) 14/1 Right now, they [sc.
>>  Harvard students] are probably "wonking out" for exams, i.e. studying
>>  excessively.
>>  -----
>
>Earlier, from the Crimson archives:
>
>http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=143489
>1979 _Harvard Crimson_ 24 Feb. (electronic) Wonking out.
>
>http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=227382
>1985 _Harvard Crimson_ 16 July (electronic) Maybe the fact that
>everyone else around me was studying so hard (or wonking out, as
>you'll learn to call it) helped perpetuate my compulsive studying.
>
>And here's "wonk" as a verb without "out":
>
>http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=154207
>1977 _Harvard Crimson_ 4 Nov. (electronic) Veteran Quaddies will tell
>you that the place just ain't the same without all those little
>freshmen ... wonking for classes before January, and doing all those
>other cute freshmen things that endear them so in our hearts.
>
Which seems as though it would give rise to "wonker", which might
have led to some confusion on the part of British students in
residence.  (Yes, I know the vowel is different, but still...)

LH

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