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skeeterhawk
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28 Jan 2009, 12:03 pm

There is a current discussion about being a nerd, geek or dork. What about WONK? I happen to like that word the best since in is less toward computer and academic stuff, which I'm not as much into. I think a person who memorizes all the parts put into Harley-Davidsons would qualify as a wonk as much as the person who memorizes all the equations in economics.

On top of all that, I find the word works well for me as a stim.



Mage
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28 Jan 2009, 12:09 pm

Like Paris Hilton's wonky left eye?

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skeeterhawk
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28 Jan 2009, 1:33 pm

Quote:
Like Paris Hilton's wonky left eye?


I wasn't aware of the alternate definition. I am guessing that you are using it to mean somehow out of order.

I am most familiar with it from Paul Krugman's blog where he warns readers that a post may be somewhat wonky. He means extremely detailed about a narrow area.

People use this latter definition when they refer to a bureaucrat as a "policy wonk".

Anyway, I guess I could also warm to a word that suggests I am a little "twisted" in some sense.


And with the double-U sound and ending with nk, it continues to work well as a stim (for me at least).



NeantHumain
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28 Jan 2009, 1:34 pm

I think wonk connotes an expert from some prestigious institution or Washington think tank; one usually sees the phrase "policy wonk." I don't think wonkish affectations can be associated with someone whose interest is motorcycles or cars.



2ukenkerl
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28 Jan 2009, 1:55 pm

NeantHumain wrote:
I think wonk connotes an expert from some prestigious institution or Washington think tank; one usually sees the phrase "policy wonk." I don't think wonkish affectations can be associated with someone whose interest is motorcycles or cars.


Wikipedia says:

Wonk, slang for a person preoccupied with arcane details or procedures in a specialized field

BTW "pundit" is SUPPOSED to be an english word adopted from hindi that means expert or educated. In the US it usually refers to some IDIOT that just PARROTS someone elses insane ideas!

Wikipedia defines THAT as:

A pundit is someone who offers to mass-media his/her opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically political analysis, the social sciences or sport) on which he/she is presumed to be knowledgeable. The term has been increasingly applied to popular media personalities. In certain cases, it may be used in a derogatory manner as well.