The Origins Of The Words Geek And Nerd

The Origins Of The Words Geek And Nerd

 
Thanks to Today I Found Out, we find out were the words “geek” and “nerd” came from.
 


The Interesting Origins of the Words “Geek” and “Nerd”

The first documented case of “geek” dates all the way back to 1916. At the time, the term was used to describe sideshow freaks in circuses. Specifically, it was typically attributed to those circus performers who were known for doing crazy things like biting the heads of various small live animals or eating live insects and the like. These performances were often called “geek shows”. The word itself, “geek”, came from the word “geck”, which was originally a Low German word which meant someone who is a “fool/freak/simpleton”.

The first documented case of “nerd” was in Dr. Seuss’s If I Ran the Zoo, in 1950. The specific text was: “a Nerkle, a Nerd, and a Seersucker too”. It was just one year after the Dr. Seuss book, in 1951 in a Newsweek magazine article, that we find the first documented case of “nerd” being used similarly to how we use it today. Specifically, they used it as being synonymous with someone who was a “drip” or a “square”.

There are two popular theories as to where the word derived from. The first is that it was perhaps derived from “drunk” spelled backwards, “knurd”. This was fitting to describe people who studied instead of going out with friends and partying. A somewhat more popular theory suggests that it came from a modification of “nut”, specifically “nert”, which meant “stupid or crazy person” and was common in the 1940s, directly before the term “nerd” showed up. The word nerd ended up becoming fairly popular in the 1960s and by the 1970s was hugely popularized by the TV show Happy Days, where it was used frequently.

Source…

 

New Word Added To The Urban Dictionary – Barrycade

Barrycade has already made it into the Urban Dictionary.

The Urban Dictionary - Barrycade

1. barrycade

1. A barrier (usually temporary) that exists for no reason. 2. A barrier erected for political reasons.

“Dude, Obama barrycaded the park.”

“Hey, let’s put up some barrycades to keep those World War II veterans away from the open-air World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., in order to try and score some cheap political points.”

 

What Groups Of Animals Are Called

ANIMAL            GROUP (Collective Names) 

Antelope:        A herd of antelope
Ant:             A colony or An army of ants
Ape:             A shrewdness of apes
Baboons:         A troop of baboons
Bacteria:        A culture of bacteria
Badger:          A cete of badgers
Bass:            A shoal of bass
Bear:            A sleuth or sloth of bears
Beaver:          A colony of beavers
Bee:             A swarm, grist or hive of bees
Bird:            A flock, flight, congregation or volery of birds
Boar:            A sounder of boars
Buffalo:         A herd of buffalo
Buck:            A brace or clash of bucks
Caterpillar:     An army of caterpillars
Cat:             A clowder or clutter of cats
Cattle:          A herd or drove of cattle
Chicken:         A brood or peep of chickens
Chicks:          A clutch or chattering of chicks
Clam:            A bed of clams
Cobra:           A quiver of cobras
Cockroach:       An intrusion of cockroaches
Colt:            A rag of colts
Cow:             A kine of cows (twelve cows are A flink)
Coyote:          A band of coyote
Crane:           A sedge or siege of cranes
Crocodile:       A float of crocodiles
Crow:            A murder of crows
Cub:             A litter of cubs
Curlew:          A herd of curlews
Cur:             A cowardice of curs
Deer:            A herd of deer
Dog:             A pack of dogs
Donkey:          A herd or pace of asses
Dove:            A dule of doves
Duck:            A brace, paddling or team of ducks
Elephant:        A herd of elephants
Seal:            A pod of elephant seals
Elk:             A gang of elks
Emus:            A mob of emus
Ferret:          A business or flensing of ferrets
Finches:         A charm of finches
Fish:            A school, shoal, run, haul, catch of fish
Fly:             A swarm or business of flies
Fox:             A skulk or leash of foxes
Frog:            An army or colony of frogs
Geese:           A flock, gaggle or skein (in flight) of geese
Giraffe:         A tower of giraffes/giraffe
Gnat:            A cloud or horde of gnats
Goat:            A herd, tribe or trip goats
Goldfince:       A charm of goldfinches
Gorilla:         A band of gorillas
Goldfish:        A troubling of goldfish/goldfishes
Greyhound:       A leash of greyhounds
Hare:            A down or husk of hares
Hawk:            A cast or kettle of hawks
Hen:             A brood of hens
Heron:           A hedge of herons
Hippopotamus:    A bloat of hippopotamuses /hippopotami
Hog:             A drift, or parcel of hogs
Horse:           A team, pair or harras of horses
Hound:           A pack, mute or cry of hounds
Jellyfish:       A smack of jellyfish
Kangaroo:        A troop or mob of kangaroos
Kitten:          A kindle or litter of kittens
Lark:            An ascension or exaultation of larks
Leopard:         A leap (leep) of leopards
Lion:            A pride of lions
Locust:          A plague of locusts
Magpie:          A tiding of magpies
Mallard:         A sord of mallards
Mare:            A stud of mares
Marten:          A richness of martens
Mole:            A labour of moles
Monkey:          A troop of monkeys
Moose:           A herd of moose
Mouse:           A mischief of mice
Mule:            A barren or span of mules
Owls:            A parliament of owls
Otter:           A romp of otters
Oxen:            A yoke, drove, team or herd of oxen
Oyster:          A bed of oysters
Parrot:          A company of parrots
Partridge:       A covey of partridges
Peacock:         A muster, pride or ostentation of peacocks
Peep:            A litter of peeps
Penguin:         A colony,parcel or huddle of penguins
Pheasant:        A nest, nide (nye) or bouquet of pheasants
Pigeon:          A flock or flight of pigeons
Pig:             A litter of pigs
Plover:          A wing or congregation of plovers
Pony:            A string of ponies
Porpoise:        A pod of porpoises
Quail:           A covey or bevy of quail
Rabbit:          A nest of rabbits
Rat:             A pack or swarm of rats
Rattlesnake:     A rhumba of rattlesnakes
Raven:           An unkindness of ravens
Rhino:           A crash or herd of rhinos
Roebuck:         A bevy of roebucks
Rook:            A building or clamour of rooks
Seal:            A herd or pod of seals
Sheep:           A drove or flock of sheep
Snake:           A nest of snakes
Snipe:           A walk or wisp of snipe
Sparrow:         A host of sparrows
Squirrel:        A dray or scurry of squirrels
Starling:        A murmuration of starlings
Stork:           A mustering of storks
Swallow:         A flight of swallows
Swan:            A bevy, herd, lamentation or wedge of swans
Swift:           A flock of swifts
Swine:           A sounder or drift of swine
Teal:            A spring of teal
Tiger:           A swift or ambush of tigers
Toad:            A knot of toads
Trout:           A hover of trout
Turkey:          A rafter of turkeys
Turtledove:      A pitying or dule of turtledoves
Turtle:          A bale of turtles
Walrus:          A pod of walrus
Whale:           A school, gam or pod of whales
Viper:           A nest of vipers
Wolf:            A pack or route of wolves
Woodcock:        A fall of woodcocks
Woodpecker:      A descent of woodpeckers
Zebra:           A herd,zeal or dazzle of zebras
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