Linguistic question
Apr. 4th, 2003 02:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kellinatorDoes 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)
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)
no subject
Date: 2003-04-04 11:41 am (UTC)The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
snarky
SYLLABICATION: snark·y
PRONUNCIATION: snärk
ADJECTIVE: Inflected forms: snark·i·er, snark·i·est
Slang Irritable or short-tempered; irascible.
ETYMOLOGY: From dialectal snark, to nag, from snark, snork, to snore, snort, from Dutch and Low German snorken, of imitative origin.
OTHER FORMS: snarki·ly —ADVERB
I checked WordSpy and the only reference I found is from Lewis Carroll:
The Bellman on the "unmistakable marks" of the Snark:)
The third is its slowness in taking a jest.
Should you happen to venture on one,
It will sigh like a thing that is deeply distressed:
And it always looks grave at a pun.
—The Hunting of the Snark, 1872
The Online Etymology Dictionary says:
snark - imaginary animal, coined 1876 by Lewis Carroll in "The Hunting of the Snark."
And Merriam-Webster says:
Main Entry: snarky
Pronunciation: 'snär-kE
Function: adjective
Etymology: dialect snark to annoy, perhaps alteration of nark to irritate
Date: 1906
It's also listed in PseudoDictionary, but there isn't any information on the origin of it. Got access to an OED? I'm curious as to what they say about it.
OED says Lewis Carroll invented Snark the noun!
Date: 2003-04-04 11:49 am (UTC)An imaginary animal. Also Comb.
1879 Temple Bar Nov. 391 Hunting for snarkes is a very pleasant occupation, if you do but make-believe strong enough. 1888 Lees & Clutterbuck B.C. 1887 xxvi. (1892) 297 There is quite a Snark-hunting ring about it. 1895 K. Grahame Golden Age 90 Some sinuous and snarklike conflict on the mat.