Linguistic question

[kellinator]

Does anyone know where, when, or how the word "snarky" came about? I don't remember hearing it until just a very few years ago, and now it's everywhere. Especially if you're talking to me. ;)

I love the snark. The snark is good.

Because I can always tie something back to "Homicide: Life on the Street":

Kellerman: "You sure you want me with you?"
Bayliss: "Yeah, sure, why not?"
Kellerman: "I dunno, the last time we worked together you were kinda...snarky."
Bayliss: "Snarky?"
Kellerman: "Yeah, snarky, you know, from the ancient Greek, meaning 'butthead?'"

(hear it at http://www.schlock.net/hsounds.html)

Comments

[vidicon.livejournal.com]

The first use of the word "snark", I believe, came from Lewis Carroll's "The Hunting of the Snark". "Snarky" has to be more recent than that....

"A colloquialism meaning short-tempered or snappish, snarky dates from 1906, so is hardly a neologism. But how animations can be short-tempered is another question. The word is arcane enough, in any case, that it should be limited to contexts where the meaning is clear. Then again, snarky has appeared in the Journal's pages only seven times in seven years, so we won't be snarky about it." Found here.

Helpful?

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