[Ads-l] Antedating of "Geeky"

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Here is some more data for the sub-question raised by Rich. In the two
citations below the word "geeky" is applied to vampires. I cannot
provide a conclusion, but it is a fun combination.

Date: Jun 15, 1980
Newspaper: The Miami Herald
Newspaper Location: Miami, Florida
Article: Choice
Quote Page 33, Column 1
Database: Newspapers.com
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald-geeky/202722041/

[Begin excerpt]
BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY - The Buck (Gil Gerard) stops here:
Erin Gray. She's Wilma and she's the pretty person the geeky looking
vampire villain of this repeat episode wants to put the bite on. 8-9
p.m., Che. 7, 5, 20.
[End excerpt]

Date: March 3, 1971
Newspaper: Intelligencer Journal
Newspaper Location: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Article: Dracula To Liven Fulton Stage
Author: John Drybred (Intell Staff Writer)
Quote Page 36, Column 5
Database: Newspapers.com
https://www.newspapers.com/article/intelligencer-journal-geeky/202722557/

[Begin excerpt]
Only a few 8:30 p.m. shoppers turned for a better look at him and his
two companions - a geeky-looking creep in high boots and strangling
necktie and a long Jane in head-to-toe white.
...
Actually, it was only Count Dracula, his assistant bloodsucker, and
this dame who plays dead the whole show at the Fulton Opera House
Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Wed, Jul 29, 2026 at 11:21 PM ADSGarson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Excellent work, Jesse. Nice point, Rich. Here is an slightly earlier
> instance in 1966.
>
> Date: March 21, 1966
> Newspaper: The Commercial Appeal
> Newspaper Location: Memphis, Tennessee
> Article: They Step Easily Into Modern Dance
> Author: K. W. Cook
> Quote Page 21, Column 6
> Database: Newspapers.com
>
> https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-commercial-appeal-geeky/202721475/
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> But of Mrs. Lusk, the 10th grader said, "She's great. She's graceful
> and can do anything. I didn't like folk dancing, I thought it was kind
> of geeky. This (modern dancing) is more fun and more creative."
> [End excerpt]
>
> Garson
>
> On Wed, Jul 29, 2026 at 11:19 PM Jesse Sheidlower <jester at panix.com> wrote:
> >
> > 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
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org