The TROLLING THREAD- inspired by /b 1000GET.

[SnakebiteOverture]

[Hobbity]

[SnakebiteOverture]

[Honey]

You know what I think?

Casual racism is the best kind of racism.

[SnakebiteOverture]

Kill all the white man.

[Honey]

Kill the Batman?

[*Ash*]

[Hobbity]

No no no no no no no no, no no no no no no no no, Batman!

[SpruceMoose]

And this is why batman is actually an upperclass white man.

[SnakebiteOverture]

I think we know what Liam wants for his birthday. Big Black Batman stripper. Unfortunately, I think we're only gonna be able to afford this guy:

[Hobbity]

Happy Easter, everyone!

[SnakebiteOverture]

[CodeWarrior]

Dear world.

It has come to my attention that you have been miss using several slang terms so I thought I'd write this quick guide.

Geek: Originally a term for a performer at a freak shows, usually the opening act, who ate or would appear to eat live animals. It has come to refer to some one who is odd or freakish or who has interests that are considered not only obscure but bizarre or abnormal. A person who is a veritable encyclopaedia of harry potter knowledge and who has read and re read the books is probably not a geek. Not necessarily. Watching glee religiously does not make one a geek. A geek is more likely to be the one who casually reveals in polite conversation his extensive knowledge of the torture methods used in the gulag or his research in shibari rope bondage. Geeks are people who at their core have embraced something most consider bizarre or abnormal either in their interests, life style, behaviour or dress etc. At the very least it should be something out of the ordinary and at least a little disconcerting for 'sensitive' types.

So called gleeks and harry potter nuts are more likely to fall under the term anorak. (see anorak)

Nerd: The origins of the word nerd are shrouded in mystery and much debated. One story has it that it originates from the term knurd which is drunk backwards. A word used at certain universities to describe people who preferred studying to getting drunk. A nerd is some one who derives pleasure from academics. Some one who studies for enjoyment things he'll never be tested on.

Some one with extreme dedication to a hobby is not necessarily a nerd, unless that hobby is of an academic nature. If their hobby is very peculiar they maybe a geek if it's very obscure possibly an anorak.

Boffin: Nerds may some times also be boffins. Originally a term used extensively in world war 2 to refer to academics and experts working on the war effort. Boffins are nerds who have the aptitude and inclination to turn their knowledge to practical use. It the person who doesn't just know about computers but can make one out of reclaimed parts. It's the guy who uses his knowledge of Akkadian to translate archaeological inscriptions. Boffins usually refers to a keen amateur but it can also refer to a professional who's work is more of a pleasure than a chore.

Almost all boffins are nerds and many can be geeks but are generally not anoraks since the knowledge they poses is being put to practical use it can not be considered trivia.

Anorak: Anoraks have interests that are obscure, non academic and of no real use. For example cataloguing train numbers, unless of course you were a train engineer or are in train procurement in which case this would generally not count as anorakish. Any obsessive study of something fairly obscure, trivial and unuseful could be considered anorak behaviour. This would include being able to recite all of starwars dialogue with the facial expressions or relate on which page major events happen in books.

People of the world please get it right from now on.

[Hobbity]

You could also argue that, as language is fluid and ever-changing, if enough people use the same wrong meaning for a word, and not enough use said word correctly, than you can change the meaning. For example, the term 'girl' (according to QI at least) used to refer to all children, regardless of gender. I suspect the whole nerd/geek/whatever thing is just in the mid-stage of this.

[Jamie]

As Sam says, the meanings of words and phrases evolve over time often to the point of bearing little resemblance to their original meaning.
Theses days the commonly understood and accepted meaning of geek is somebody who is somewhat obsessive/overly enthusiastic about a particular subject, i.e. film geek. While the original definition may have described someone who was somewhat obsessed with a subject that would be considered taboo in mainstream society, these days it can literally refer to any subject no matter how "normal" it may be.
I strongly disagree that someone who is simply rather obsessed with a given subject be considered an anorak. To me (and indeed most people I know) an anorak is somebody who is very much obsessed with a subject that most people would consider extremely dull such as train-spotting.
To summarise, if I am a big anime fan I would be a geek, but if I indulged in collecting and discussing the merits of car speedometer dials then I would be an anorak.