Talk:spod
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--Connel MacKenzie T C 21:36, 31 May 2006 (UTC)
- rfvpassed. It seems to be used in lowercase on the internet and has a lot of currency. Andrew massyn 11:55, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
Etymology
edit
A term whose origin is generally attributed to whitewater kayaking in the Southeast United States in the mid- to late-1970s. The boof developed from an evolution of longer, slalom-style kayaks constructed of fiberglass to shorter, creek-style kayaks constructed of polyethylene. This development was significant since whitewater kayaks could now hit rocks and boulders with a much smaller likelihood of breaking. Subsequently, techniques were developed to "jump" or "ski jump" hydraulic backwash at the base of a waterfall. The boof significantly advanced passage in Class IV and V rapids that previously considered unnavigable, and was brought to public attention by William Nealy's Kayak: The Animated Manual of Intermediate and Advanced Whitewater (Menasha Ridge Press, 1986). The term enjoys widespread use today.
- Have noted rfv passed on talk page. The article needs to be tidied though. Andrew massyn 21:40, 2 June 2006 (UTC)
A note on etymology
editI have no reliable sources, but spoke to someone in the early 90s (when the usages currently listed as 1 and 3 were starting to become common) who commented that usage (2) was much more common before and that it was particularly common among students at Cambridge University. Where it originally came from, I have no idea, however. 212.159.69.4 21:05, 15 March 2016 (UTC)
- OED is free to read:
- https://oed.com/view/Entry/246824
- Origin: Of unknown origin.
- Etymology: Origin unknown.
- British slang (chiefly derogatory).
- A dull or socially inept person, esp. one who is excessively studious; a person who pursues an unfashionable, technical, or esoteric interest with obsessive dedication.
- [1978 B. Cryer et al. Kenny Everett Video Show 17 July(transcribed from TV programme) Hello: I’m Spod, from the planet Thrrrnn! And this is all I do! Pathetic, isn’t it?]
- 1989 Tatler Sept. 128/2 Like all closed societies Eton has developed its own language... If you are a ‘goggy’, ‘zoid’, ‘spod’, ‘gunk’, or ‘Wendy’, you are..a social misfit.
- 1993 E. S. Raymond New Hacker's Dict. (ed. 2) 391 A true spod..will not talk to someone physically present in the same terminal room until they log onto the same machine that he is using and enter talk mode.
- 1997 Observer 11 May (Sport section) 12/7 Far from being an enclave for spods no one likes, the competition hall is encircled by a ring of well-adjusted confidence.
- 1999 Stage 30 Sept. 25/5 He is a comic book artist and sci-fi spod, she is a writer who does not write.
- I'd say the origin is 1978's, from Star Trek's Spock. Lysdexia (talk) 02:50, 26 June 2019 (UTC)
This is how I know the term to have come about. I was there, and this was the way the term came up. I just added this block to the page, I don't know if I'm doing it right, so I'll say it here and someone can pick the right way to do it. Skotte (talk) 02:07, 21 September 2024 (UTC)
- The term has a colorful origin. A person who spends too much time sitting on the couch watching TV is said to be a couch potato, because they are said to be spending too much time in the dark and not moving. And potatoes are brown and a bit smelly, so this is a pejorative term. Another word fFor potato is "Spud." If a person spends to much time online, then the U in Spud might become an O, as Spod. In the earlier days of the internet, the most common way to do this was in a college computer lab or a shared dormitory space, which in those days were often dark spaces with strange lighting, sometimes in the basement. So the analogy to a potato was apt.