[Ads-l] Antedating of "Geeky"

[Jesse Sheidlower]

Here's a 1967 example of _geeky_, from a book heavily cited by HDAS. The meaning here is unclear, although as Garson mentioned, OED's definition is so broad that it would likely cover it:

1967 P. Welles _Babyhip_ 14 The man, hollow-eyed, stared at her legs. His hair was dark, greased down with some ugly, geeky-looking ointment. Probably a gangster.

https://archive.org/details/babyhip00well/page/14/mode/1up

Jesse Sheidlower

On Wed, Jul 29, 2026 at 11:01:47PM -0400, ADSGarson O'Toole wrote:
> 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.
> > >
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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