Re: [xml-dev] Call yourself a geek?

[Stephen D Green <stephengreenubl@gmail.com>]

Surprising you don’t tend to hear politicians called geeks

On Tuesday, 2 April 2019, Uche Ogbuji <uche@ogbuji.net> wrote:

Well yes "geek" and "nerd" were originally uncomplimentary terms. Anyone who was actually called those words in their school playgrounds knows that. The former was a comparison to circus geeks, a common term for performers whose acts included seemingly gross or foolish stunts such as hammering nails into their nostrils or eating dangerous items.

It's very, very common for once uncomplimentary terms to transform into neutral or positive descriptors. You could fill a book with examples, and many have done.

--Uche

On Tue, Apr 2, 2019 at 3:30 AM Dave Pawson <dave.pawson@gmail.com> wrote:

Origin

Late 19th century: from the related English dialect word geck ‘fool’,
of Germanic origin; related to Dutch gek ‘mad, silly’.

Live and learn.


--
Dave Pawson
XSLT XSL-FO FAQ.
Docbook FAQ.

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Uche Ogbuji                                       http://uche.ogbuji.net
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Co-creator, co-host, Poetry Voice Podcast      http://poetryvoice.tumblr.com/

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Stephen D Green