Who was the first person to use the word nerd?
The first documented use of the word Nerd is in the 1950 Dr. Seuss story, If I Ran the Zoo1, in which a boy named Gerald McGrew made a large number of delightfully extravagant claims as to what he would do, if he were in charge at the zoo. Among these was that he would bring a creature known as a Nerd from the land of Ka-Troo.
Who was the first author to use the word nerd?
The first documented appearance of the word nerd is as the name of a creature in Dr. Seuss's book If I Ran the Zoo (1950), in which the narrator Gerald McGrew claims that he would collect "a Nerkle, a Nerd, and a Seersucker too" for his imaginary zoo. The slang meaning of the term dates to 1951.
What was Dr Seuss real name?
Dr. Seuss’ real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel. A grandson of German immigrants, Theodor (without an “e”) was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, on March 2, 1904. Seuss was his mother’s maiden...
Who coined the word, "nerd"?
according to that entry some experts 'maintain that dr. seuss is the true originator of nerd and that the word nerd ("comically unpleasant creature") was picked up by the five- and six-year-olds of 1950 and passed on to their older siblings, who by 1957, as teenagers, had restricted and specified the meaning to the most comically obnoxious …
See more
Where did the term nerd come from?
According to Online Etymology Dictionary, the word is an alteration of the 1940s term "nert " (meaning "stupid or crazy person"), which is in itself an alteration of "nut" (nutcase). The term was popularized in the 1970s by its heavy use in the sitcom Happy Days.
Why did Dr. Seuss make the word nerd?
Seuss is the true originator of nerd and that the word nerd ("comically unpleasant creature") was picked up by the six-year-olds of 1950 and quickly passed on to their older siblings, who restricted and specified the meaning to the most comically obnoxious creature of their own class, a "square." Others claim that ...
Which author invented the word nerd?
writer Dr SeussNerd. The word first appears in print in 1950 in the children's book If I Ran the Zoo by American children's writer Dr Seuss.
What words did Dr. Seuss invent?
Seuss is credited with inventing the word “nerd,” which first appeared in If I Ran the Zoo in 1950. 4.
When did nerd come out?
The band's third album, Seeing Sounds, released in 2008, sold just under 80,000 copies in its first week. The album was followed by Nothing, which was released in 2010. N.E.R.D....N.E.R.D.GenresAlternative hip hop funk rock alternative rock rap rock avant-funk progressive rapYears active1999–2005 2008–present10 more rows
When was nerd added to the dictionary?
1951According to the Oxford English Dictionary , the first known published use of “nerd” was in a 1951 article in Newsweek, which declared, “In Detroit, someone who once would be called a drip or a square is now, regrettably, a nerd.” The term then made its way into other publications; linguist Ben Zimmer reports that ...
Did Dr. Seuss invent the term nerd?
It has an unusual background, as it was initially coined by Dr. Seuss in his 1950 book “If I Ran the Zoo.” In the book, the narrator states he'll collect “a Nerkle, a Nerd, and a seersucker too” for the imaginary zoo in the story.
Is it OK to be a nerd?
The truth is, being a nerd isn't bad. You can be proud of your interests, and just because you're not on the football team doesn't mean you aren't “cool” in your own way. Whether you're proud of being a little nerdy or not, here are three reasons you should be!
Who created the word word?
Microsoft WordMicrosoft Office 2019 version of Microsoft WordDeveloper(s)MicrosoftInitial releaseOctober 25, 1983 (as Multi-Tool Word)Stable release2205 (16.0.15225.20204) / April 26, 2022Written inC++ (back-end)8 more rows
What is the Grinch name?
He is best known as the main character of the 1957 children's book How the Grinch Stole Christmas! He has been portrayed and voiced by many different actors, including Boris Karloff, Hans Conried, Bob Holt, Anthony Asbury, Jim Carrey, Rik Mayall, Benedict Cumberbatch and Matthew Morrison....Grinch.The GrinchGenderMale7 more rows
What is Dr. Seuss most famous quote?
Inspirational Dr. Seuss Quotes“Oh the thinks you can think!”“You'll be on your way up! ... “With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.”“Today I shall behave as if this is the day I will be remembered.”“You're off to great places! ... “Today you are you!More items...•
What are the 50 words in The Cat in the Hat?
The 50 words, by the way, are: a, am, and, anywhere, are, be, boat, box, car, could, dark, do, eat, eggs, fox, goat, good, green, ham, here, house, I, if, in, let, like, may, me, mouse, not, on, or, rain, Sam, say, see, so, thank, that, the, them, there, they, train, tree, try, will, with, would, you.
Did Dr. Seuss invent the term nerd?
It has an unusual background, as it was initially coined by Dr. Seuss in his 1950 book “If I Ran the Zoo.” In the book, the narrator states he'll collect “a Nerkle, a Nerd, and a seersucker too” for the imaginary zoo in the story.
Who made the word word?
The first ever version of Microsoft Word - Word 1.0 - was launched in October 1983 and developed by former Xerox programmers, Charles Simonyi and Richard Brodie.
What are 3 facts about Dr. Seuss?
His work has been highly debated for its racist and insensitive depiction of certain characters.Dr. ... He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. ... You've probably been pronouncing "Seuss" wrong. ... He wrote and illustrated 47 children's books before his death. ... Dr. ... He wrote for an ad agency.More items...•
Who created words?
Homo Sapiens (humans) first existed about 150,000 years ago. All other forms of humanoids were extinct by at least 30,000 years ago. The best guess of a lot of people is that words were invented by Home Sapiens, and it was sometime in that period.
Who Invented the Word Nerd?
In France, because of our frequent contact with American culture, we have adopted words like Geeks and Nerds, kind of. I suppose that The Big Bang Theory is also popular here. Who knows? The thing is, I’m not really sure what a nerd really is or, to be precise, what is originally meant.
Nerd vs Geek!
Nerd became synonymous with socially inept but brainy, but it also evolved to become less of an insult and more of a compliment of sorts. It’s not unlike the use of the word geek.
When was the word "nerd" first used?
The first documented appearance of the word nerd is as the name of a creature in Dr. Seuss 's book If I Ran the Zoo (1950), in which the narrator Gerald McGrew claims that he would collect "a Nerkle, a Nerd, and a Seersucker too" for his imaginary zoo. The slang meaning of the term dates to 1951. That year, Newsweek magazine reported on its popular ...
When did the nerd come out?
The nerd, in his cliche form, first stepped out upon the world stage in the mid-1970s, when we were beginning to hear the first rumblings of what would become the Cambrian explosion of the information society. The nerd must serve as comic relief for the future-anxieties of Western society. ...
Why are people considered nerds?
Because of the nerd stereotype , many smart people are often thought of as nerdy. This belief can be harmful, as it can cause high-school students to "switch off their lights" out of fear of being branded as a nerd, and cause otherwise appealing people to be considered nerdy simply for their intellect. It was once thought that intellectuals were nerdy because they were envied. However, Paul Graham stated in his essay, "Why Nerds are Unpopular", that intellect is neutral, meaning that you are neither loved nor despised for it. He also states that it is only the correlation that makes smart teens automatically seem nerdy, and that a nerd is someone that is not socially adept enough. Additionally, he says that the reason why many smart kids are unpopular is that they "don't have time for the activities required for popularity."
Why are nerds unpopular?
However, Paul Graham stated in his essay, "Why Nerds are Unpopular", that intellect is neutral, meaning that you are neither loved nor despised for it. He also states that it is only the correlation that makes smart teens automatically seem nerdy, and that a nerd is someone that is not socially adept enough.
What is a nerd child?
A child dressed up as a stereotypical nerd. Stereotypical nerd appearance, often lampooned in caricatures, can include very large glasses, braces, buck teeth, severe acne and pants worn high at the waist. Following suit of popular use in emoticons, Unicode released in 2015 its "Nerd Face" character, featuring some of those stereotypes: 🤓 ...
What is a nerdy person?
Some measures of nerdiness are now allegedly considered desirable, as, to some, it suggests a person who is intelligent, respectful, interesting, and able to earn a large salary. Stereotypical nerd qualities are evolving, going from awkwardness and social ostracism to an allegedly more widespread acceptance and sometimes even celebration of their differences.
What is the nerd face?
In the media, many nerds are males, portrayed as being physically unfit, either overweight or skinny due to lack of physical exercise.
Who was the animator of the cartoon Snafu?from history.com
He worked alongside famed Warner Bros. animation directors Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng in creating cartoons featuring Private Snafu, a bumbling GI with the looks of Elmer Fudd and the voice of Bugs Bunny whose missteps were a warning to enlisted men. After General Douglas MacArthur suppressed his training film “Our Job in Japan,” Dr. Seuss and his wife, Helen, used it as the basis for their screenplay for the 1947 documentary “Design for Death,” which earned an Academy Award.
Who was the mad man in the book The Cat in the Hat?from history.com
Geisel with a copy of his book, “The Cat in the the Hat,” in 1957. (Credit: Gene Lester/Getty Images) 4. Dr. Seuss was a “mad man.”. Dr. Seuss achieved early success writing and illustrating humorous advertisements for Flit, a bug spray manufactured by Standard Oil.
What are some of Dr Seuss's characters?from mykidstime.com
Characters like Sam I Am, the Lorax, Thing 1 and Thing 2, The Grinch and the ever-popular Cat in the Hat have been loved by generations of children. But after all this time, did you know we were pronouncing his name wrong? Read on to find out more interesting Dr Seuss facts!
Who drew the isolationist cartoons?from history.com
Between 1940 and 1942, Geisel drew over 400 editorial cartoons skewering isolationists at home and the Axis abroad for the liberal newspaper “PM.”. These included stereotypical and inflammatory depictions of Japanese leaders and xenophobic cartoons portraying Japanese Americans as disloyal. pinterest-pin-it.
Is Dr. Seuss a real doctor?from mykidstime.com
Dr Seuss isn’t a real doctor. He did go to Oxford, England and was planning to get a PhD in Literature. He ended up meeting his first wife and they went back to USA where he worked for a magazine and then in advertising. He added ‘Dr.’ to his pen-name because his father had always wanted him to study medicine. #5.
Is Dr. Seuss a popular author?from mykidstime.com
It’s fair to say that Dr Seuss is one of the most popular children’s authors, ever since he published his first book . But have you ever wondered about the man behind such books as The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham? Find out more with 13 fun Dr Seuss facts you may not know!
Who invented the word "boredom"?
In this week's video from our sister site, Mental Floss, author John Green explains the literary origins of 43 words. Among the other word inventions: Charles Dickens invented the word "boredom" in his 1853 novel Bleak House, and Sir Walter Scott's 1820 novel Ivanhoe is the first written mention of the word "freelance."
What phrases did Shakespeare use?
It's no secret that Shakespeare can be credited with coining many of the phrases we still use today, such as "bated breath" and "love is blind.".
When was the word "nerd" first used?
That afternoon, I went home and looked up the word nerd in Merriam-Webster. The entry for the word said that it was first attested in 1951. Concerning the etymology of the word, it said: “perhaps from nerd, a creature in the children's book If I Ran the Zoo (1950) by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel).”
What does "nerd" mean?
It’s a weird bit of vocabulary, one without friends or any relatives that want to have anything to do with it, older than seems appropriate but not so much so that it’s interesting. In its first confirmed attestation, it follows the word “regrettably”. (Newsweek, October 28, 1951: “In Detroit, someone who once would be called a drip or a square is now, regrettably, a nerd.” [ 1])
What was the first robot in the 20th century?
It began with the “heartless” Tin man from the Wizard of Oz and continued with the humanoid robot that impersonated Maria in Metropolis.
What was coining in the 16th century?
In the 16th century the 'coining' of words and phrases was often referred to. By that time the monetary coinage was often debased or counterfeit and the coining of words was often associated with spurious linguistic inventions; for example, in George Puttenham's The arte of English poesie, 1589:
What is the origin of the word "nert"?
While there is the chance it’s connected to the name of a ventiloquist dummy named Mortimer Snerd from the 1930s, the best evidence for an ancestor is the 1940s insult nert. “Nert” meant, and came from, “nut”, as in “nutcase”, as in “crazy”, or perhaps “stupid”.
Where does the word "whole creation" come from?
1610s, "the whole creation, the universe," from Late Latin systema "an arrangement, system," from Greek systema "organized whole, a whole compounded of parts," from stem of synistanai "to place together, organize, form in order," from syn- "together" (see syn-) + root of histanai "cause to stand," from PIE root *sta- "to stand, make or be firm."
Who was the first person to think of artificial intelligence?
One such person was Alan Turing, a young British polymath who explored the mathematical possibility of artificial intelligence. Turing suggested that humans use
Overview
Etymology
The first documented appearance of the word nerd is as the name of a creature in Dr. Seuss's book If I Ran the Zoo (1950), in which the narrator Gerald McGrew claims that he would collect "a Nerkle, a Nerd, and a Seersucker too" for his imaginary zoo. The slang meaning of the term dates to 1951. That year, Newsweek magazine reported on its popular use as a synonym for drip or square in Detroit, Michigan. By the early 1960s, usage of the term had spread throughout the United State…
Culture
Because of the nerd stereotype, many smart people are often thought of as nerdy. This belief can be harmful, as it can cause high-school students to "switch off their lights" out of fear of being branded as a nerd, and cause otherwise appealing people to be considered nerdy simply for their intellect. It was once thought that intellectuals were nerdy because they were envied. However, Paul Graham stated in his essay, "Why Nerds are Unpopular", that intellect is neutral, meaning t…
In popular culture
• Several memorable nerdy characters appear in old media, including Anthony Michael Hall's character of Brian Johnson in The Breakfast Club and Lewis Skolnick and Gilbert Lowe from Revenge of the Nerds.
• The parody song and music video "White & Nerdy" by "Weird Al" Yankovic also prominently features and celebrates aspects of nerd culture.
See also
• Anti-intellectualism
• Egghead
• Emo
• Emotional intelligence
• Furry
Further reading
• Bucholtz, Mary (1999). "'Why be normal?': Language and identity practices in a community of nerd girls" (PDF). Language in Society. 28 (2): 203–23. doi:10.1017/s0047404599002043.
• Frayling, Christopher (2005). Mad, Bad And Dangerous?: The Scientist and the Cinema. Reaktion Books.
• Genuine Nerd (2006) – Feature-length documentary on Toby Radloff.
External links
• "The Well-Dressed Geek: Media Appropriation and Subcultural Style" (Paper by Jason Tocci presented at the MIT5 conference. PDF, 180kb).
• "Why Nerds are Unpopular", an essay by Paul Graham about the conformist society in American high schools.
• "The Nerds Have Won", an article by Brian Hayes in American Scientist, September–October 2000.