Would You Know a Dork If You Saw One?
Tuesday May 5, 2009
Re: Dork definition
In spite of what you're apt to read on any of over 10,000 Web pages, the word "dork" does not mean (and has never meant) "whale penis."
I defy anyone who claims otherwise to show it defined as such in any respectable dictionary or used as such in any novel or reference work about whales or whaling published in the last three hundred years.
Though its precise origins remain somewhat of a mystery, etymologists generally agree that dork — usually defined as a stupid, foolish, or inept person — has only been in common usage since the 1960s, and is most likely a variant of dick, which is, in fact, a slang term for penis, just not specifically that of a whale.
All this is by way of saying that if you ask me, the rightful definition of a dork is the sort of person who would make up something like ... this.
Read more about the definition of dork:
• WordOrigins.org
• American Heritage Dictionary
• Merriam-Webster Dictionary
• MSN Encarta Dictionary
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In spite of what you're apt to read on any of over 10,000 Web pages, the word "dork" does not mean (and has never meant) "whale penis."
I defy anyone who claims otherwise to show it defined as such in any respectable dictionary or used as such in any novel or reference work about whales or whaling published in the last three hundred years.
Though its precise origins remain somewhat of a mystery, etymologists generally agree that dork — usually defined as a stupid, foolish, or inept person — has only been in common usage since the 1960s, and is most likely a variant of dick, which is, in fact, a slang term for penis, just not specifically that of a whale.
All this is by way of saying that if you ask me, the rightful definition of a dork is the sort of person who would make up something like ... this.
Read more about the definition of dork:
• WordOrigins.org
• American Heritage Dictionary
• Merriam-Webster Dictionary
• MSN Encarta Dictionary
Follow me on Facebook | Follow me on Twitter
Comments
“…the rightful definition of a dork is the sort of person who would make up something like this.”
I would disagree. A Dork is the sort of person who would believe something like this without question. By my definition we have all been Dorks.
If “dork” really did mean whale penis, you’d think it would be a compliment!
I moved to the Chicago Suburbs in 1953 and I first heard the word Dork used in ‘54 or ‘55 in the school playground. It meant penis. I remember being annoyed when it became a generic term for uncool and non-hip years later because to me it had always been synonymous with Dick.
I read somewhere that “dork” was shortened from “door key.” It referred to kids who either had two parents working, or had a single parent (back in the day when both situations were not so common). The kids carried their “door keys” with them so they could get in the house after school. They were different because they couldn’t have friends over after school and had to go straight home. Thus, they were dorky.
They sound to me like the opposite of dorky, as they had keys to their houses, which we sure were not allowed, and they were allowed to stay home unsupervised, which we sure were not.
a dork is a guy who farts in the bath tub and then bites the bubbles before they surface with his teeth.
i thought everyone knew that.