Query on Word History, was Re: The Moral Life of Geeks

Carl Remick carlremick at hotmail.com
Tue Sep 12 09:06:29 PDT 2000



>Carrol Cox wrote:
>
>>"Geek" originally meant a carnival performer who bit
>>the head off of chickens or snakes. How did it come
>>to mean professionals in technology?
>
>Because so many of them dress strangely and have poor social skills?
>
>Doug

[For what it's worth, the following is what the online "word detective" has to say. Full text is at http://www.greenapple.com/~words1/back-g.html#geek]

... "geek" dates back only to the 19th century, although an earlier form, "geck," meaning "fool," dates back to the 16th century. A "geek" in carnival slang was often a formerly talented performer (such as an acrobat or high-wire artist) who had fallen prey to alcohol or drugs. Such sad cases usually drifted downward through the pecking order of the carnival until they hit bottom, where the only job left open to them was that of "geek." The term was popularized by William Gresham's 1946 novel about carnival life, "Nightmare Alley" (later made into a film starring Tyrone Power).

Originally, to be a "geek" was to have fallen so low as to be willing to do anything for a living, no matter how disgusting the task. Only in the last few years has it been used as a synonym for "nerd."

[end]

Carl

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