[Ads-l] "anorak" n., slang = studious (but not only "young") person, 2016
Joel Berson
berson at ATT.NET
Wed Apr 27 15:05:07 UTC 2016
Until this moment I’d never understood the appeal of family history, the draw for all those anoraks poring over their bloodlines in the back rooms of libraries.
Cal Flyn, The Australian, April 23, 2016.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/weekend-australian-magazine/cal-flyn-the-terrible-truths-in-my-family-history/news-story/7785e4d89d6cd479139be969a88f4047
"anorak" n., slang = studious, postdates OED (Draft Additions 1997) --1995.
The OED definition is "A boring, studious, or socially inept young person (caricatured as typically wearing an anorak), esp. one who pursues an unfashionable and solitary interest with obsessive dedication." Genealogical researchers are often obsessively dedicated, but they are generally not young. And generally not at the library wearing anoraks.
Joel
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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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