[Ads-l] Antedating of "Geeky"

[Rich Lowenthal]

I wonder whether that reference was to the older meaning of "geek" as a 
sideshow act that bit off the heads of chickens--referring to the 
vampire's interest in biting. I have seen the tv movie, and don't recall 
anything about the character that would fit with the modern meaning of 
"geeky."


------ Original Message ------
>From "ADSGarson O'Toole" 
<00001aa1be50b751-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
To ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Date 7/29/2026 11:01:47 PM
Subject Re: Antedating of "Geeky"

>Nice work Fred and Ben. Here is an instance of the adjective geeky in 1972.
>
>Date: January 29, 1972
>Newspaper: The State Journal-Register
>Newspaper Location: Springfield, Illinois
>Article: Allen's Alley
>Author: Wayne
>Quote Page 14B, Column 2
>Database: Newspapers.com
>https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-state-journal-register-geeky/202719970/
>
>[Begin excerpt]
>Q. Who played the geeky vampire on "The Night Stalker"? He was too cool.--L.T.
>A. Barry Atwater, (Cool, clear Atwater?).
>[End excerpt]
>
>The combination of geeky and cool is a bit odd, but it might just mean
>that the questioner likes geeks. The OED definition of geeky is quite
>broad because it is based on geek which has many senses.
>
>[Begin OED excerpt]
>geeky adjective
>Characteristic of or designating a geek.
>[End OED excerpt]
>
>The IMDB website has a webpage with images of Barry Atwater playing
>the character Janos Skorzeny in The Night Stalker television movie. I
>have not seen this TV movie.
>
>https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067490/characters/nm0041136/
>
>Garson
>
>On Wed, Jul 29, 2026 at 9:37 PM Ben Zimmer
><00001aae0710f4b7-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>>
>>  New York Times Book Review, Dec. 15, 1974, p. 4, col. 3 (ProQuest)
>>  [Review of Frank Brady's _Hefner_ by Philip Nobile]
>>  In the meantime, "Hefner" provides a not altogether uninformative account
>>  of how a geeky Chicago cartoonist, virgin until his 22nd year, quit his job
>>  as circulation director of Children's Activities, abandoned plans for a 3‐D
>>  nudie magazine and, with a borrowed $10,000 and a lot of nerve, pasted up a
>>  pretentious girlie by the name of Stag Party.
>>
>>  https://www.nytimes.com/1974/12/15/archives/hefner-the-22yearold-virgin-who-made-up-for-lost-time.html
>>
>>  On Wed, Jul 29, 2026 at 8:28 PM Shapiro, Fred <
>>  00001ac016895344-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>>
>>  > geeky (OED 1981)
>>  >
>>  > 1978 Los Angeles Times 18 July II. 7/5 (Newspapers.com)
>>  >
>>  > They usually see me as that shy kind of geeky guy.
>>  >
>>
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