When did the term "geek" become widely used?

[AngryAmish]

When I was in grade school in the late 70s we referred to dorky kids as geeks. Now, with some less shame, people refer to themselves a "computer geek" or "math geek".

When did the transformation from a name for a sideshow performer to a name for nerdy folks take place?

[shoelace414]

1. Revenge of the nerds

that and Geeks seem to end up better off after high school than jocks do.

[unblock]

2. in the 80s, when people realized that geeks make good money

[WI_DEM]

3. yeah isn't it a shame that the word "geek" has been co-oped

It should have been left alone so that it could only apply to those "dorky kids".

[Bunny]

4. The term geek: did it originally refer to those circus guys who bit the

heads off of chickens, or something like that? :shrug:

[Spider Jerusalem]

5. Yes...

and "dork" means "whale's penis". Funny how words take on different meanings, eh?

[Bunny]

7. Whale penis? I did not know that!

Very strange, indeed.

[SarahB]

9. My kids learned that a couple years back.

Now they snicker when someone says it. It's pretty funny when you think about it.

[HEIL PRESIDENT GOD]

6. Geeks are circus geeks originally

Ozzy Osbourne is technically a geek because he bit off live animal heads for the amusement of an audience.

When I was growing up (80s) geeks and nerds were distinct from each other. Nerds were sort of hapless and almost always wore glasses; they didn't want trouble but got picked on. Geeks actively sought trouble by doing stuff like flagrantly eating their boogers, and usually they didn't have glasses or make good grades.

I think it's the nerds who went on to make good money, and the geeks who went on to program computers, not necessarily making good money.

[Sporadicus]

8. Twerp

A twerp originally meant 'person who farts in the bathtub & bites at the bubbles.'

I don't know :silly: