tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post2898905213812914282..comments2024-03-16T00:21:43.240+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: 2012 US-to-UK Word of the Year: wonklynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-37974923893242852122015-11-10T19:21:37.127+00:002015-11-10T19:21:37.127+00:00Diaphania, I think you need my post on 'tidbit...Diaphania, I think you need my post on 'tidbit/titbit': <a href="http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/tidbits-and-titbits.html" rel="nofollow">http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/tidbits-and-titbits.html</a>lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-12402456207572725272015-11-10T18:40:19.945+00:002015-11-10T18:40:19.945+00:00Policy wonk or policy wank indeed. Reminds me of t...Policy wonk or policy wank indeed. Reminds me of the US predilection for tidbits as opposed to BrE titbits and the fact that BrE has shuttlecock and AmE calls it a bird. BrE often seems to be less afraid of a bit of honest obscenity...diaphaniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01388072417319579406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-12233301251979364142013-03-21T04:31:51.272+00:002013-03-21T04:31:51.272+00:00This seems odd to me. I'm American- from Texas...This seems odd to me. I'm American- from Texas- and I've heard 'wonky' as in 'odd' or 'not functioning properly' quite a lot, but have never in my life heard 'wonk'.Reverie39noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-5094691090906383952013-02-01T03:18:23.945+00:002013-02-01T03:18:23.945+00:00My first thought when I saw the screenshot from Th...My first thought when I saw the screenshot from The Sun was that the asterisk was used because the paper didn't want people to think that they'd used a slightly different four-letter word that gets spelled using the letter "a" instead of "o". (Or, more likely, not using the asterisk would have resulted in a libel suit.) The confusion between "wonk" and that other word may be why "wonk" isn't used much in British English.Bill Logannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-82854245619485401602013-02-01T03:10:18.010+00:002013-02-01T03:10:18.010+00:00My first thought when I saw the screenshot from Th...My first thought when I saw the screenshot from The Sun was that the asterisk was used because the paper didn't want people to think that they'd used a slightly different four-letter word that gets spelled using the letter "a" instead of "o". (Or, more likely, not using the asterisk would have resulted in a libel suit.) The confusion between "wonk" and that other word may be why "wonk" isn't used much in British English.Bill Logannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-24166200335770532622013-01-05T20:34:07.454+00:002013-01-05T20:34:07.454+00:00I think of "wonk" as a peculiarly Washin...I think of "wonk" as a peculiarly Washingtonian word. I believe people in this region are the only ones who consider a compliment. American University has a series of advertisements using it to refer to their graduates. <br /><br />And, of course, there is the local folk etymology that claims that a "wonk" is one who is said to know his subject backwards.Miriamhttp://www.xenophilia.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-8275458468582941592013-01-03T18:54:52.839+00:002013-01-03T18:54:52.839+00:00(late 60's, Am Midwest) - Politics "wonk&...(late 60's, Am Midwest) - Politics "wonk" on TV and media (usually "policy wonk"). Never in the wild. Still think wonk, geek, and nerd should exist on some continuum of obsession. n0aaahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08020996948408839877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-69383190718882957072013-01-03T13:32:14.273+00:002013-01-03T13:32:14.273+00:00A memorable line from future senator Al Franken...A memorable line from future senator Al Franken's sitcom Lateline was a description of guest "star" Norman Orenstein of the American Enterprise Institute as "the wonkiest wonk in wonk-dom."Buzzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12917548376898557427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-2086241517310853032013-01-03T04:53:48.520+00:002013-01-03T04:53:48.520+00:00World Wide Words has covered the (lack of) connect...World Wide Words has covered the (lack of) connection to Willy Wonka here: http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-pol1.htm lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-83621798587734668032013-01-02T23:08:49.614+00:002013-01-02T23:08:49.614+00:00I think the commenters got it right when they trac...I think the commenters got it right when they traced this word's usage to the Clinton era. As an AmE speaker and recovering journalist, it is not a word I use much, but I have used it some and read it a lot. It came about when politicians wanted to be viewed as policy experts in their own right rather than executives who relied on input from others.<br /><br />However, I have also heard and read "wonky" used with a similar meaning. For example, "She is a wonky politician" would mean she is inclined to become a topic expert herself rather than rely on advisers. I have also heard conversations labeled as "wonky" when they tended to dwell in finer, more nuanced aspects of policies. So that raises the potential for confusion on this side of the Atlantic, especially now, as so many politicians are wonky, in <i>both</i> definitions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-26049412303534068202012-12-31T13:47:13.561+00:002012-12-31T13:47:13.561+00:00That would be Willy Wonka not wonker, but Great Qu...That would be Willy Wonka not wonker, but Great Question Richard law!Mindynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-13462382426941506412012-12-30T19:43:37.699+00:002012-12-30T19:43:37.699+00:00So what's the connection with Willy Wonker (St...So what's the connection with Willy Wonker (Star of the children's book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl)?Richard Lawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01339914212739970700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-58684182127439383962012-12-27T11:19:39.757+00:002012-12-27T11:19:39.757+00:00Norman Lamont, I suspect, has had many a nickname,...Norman Lamont, I suspect, has had many a nickname, some of them unrepeatable in polite company.<br /><br />But that's by the by. I seem to recall The Guardian explaining the meaning of "policy wonk" at the time, and in the context, of the early months of the Clinton Presidency, or maybe even during the previous campaign, as a new and distinctive term. In my mind it indicated something different from previous styles of think-tank expert - someone younger, maybe, and distinctive from both a practitioner of the lower political arts and a less partisan academic researcher. Autolycushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17642868944400656922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-73684935896130272262012-12-26T14:32:35.104+00:002012-12-26T14:32:35.104+00:00In the 40s there was an attractive series of illus...In the 40s there was an attractive series of illustrated story books for children about Peter and Wonk, who was a very hairy dog or perhaps koala. Norman Lamont resembled Wonk so that had been his nickname.Little Black Sambohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16699227938165106710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-48428164849937235212012-12-25T23:21:13.831+00:002012-12-25T23:21:13.831+00:00I (late 40's AmE speaker) first noticed "...I (late 40's AmE speaker) first noticed "wonk" during the Clinton years. This word is probably more familiar to people in politics or interested in politics or public policy.Neil Dolingernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-3722647907519558382012-12-25T21:21:32.377+00:002012-12-25T21:21:32.377+00:00Another US Midwesterner... As a former college deb...Another US Midwesterner... As a former college debater I knew the word, but didn't personally use the word until the 2012 election when I starting reading Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight and Ezra Klein's Wonkblog. I'm guessing wonk might be more common to those living in the DC metro area. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-45249561841219114742012-12-25T13:15:12.386+00:002012-12-25T13:15:12.386+00:00Nancy asked "Is 'boffin' an approxima...Nancy asked "Is 'boffin' an approximate BrE correlate of 'wonk'?"<br /><br />Hmm, not really, to my mind. <br /><br />Boffins are bald or balding, wear round glasses, have a Clement Attlee moustache, and almost invariably smoke a pipe. Beneath their lab coats they wear tweed suits, and MAY sport a bow tie (but usually only if they were born in Austria). Their heyday was 1940-1955 and they are essentially hands-on, PRACTICAL, applied-science technologists. Without them it's doubtful we would ever have won WWII.<br /><br />Wonks, on the other hand, are essentially THEORISTS, and a much more recent development (fl. post 1975?). They don't get their hands dirty but exercise their "finely-honed minds" in examining and commenting upon the minutiae of their chosen field (without necessarily having any personal expertise in it). Policy wonks, in particular, are often aspiring politicians, and therefore favour sharp suits, styled haircuts, and contact lenses -- and if they smoke at all take pains to conceal the fact.Kevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10718209592445394736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-83794883672082669532012-12-25T01:59:02.504+00:002012-12-25T01:59:02.504+00:00*life, not live....
I agree with dta, I would pro...*life, not live....<br /><br />I agree with dta, I would probably use tool.Mindynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-20404839861736745172012-12-25T01:57:20.429+00:002012-12-25T01:57:20.429+00:00Midwest US resident, I have never in my live heard...Midwest US resident, I have never in my live heard the word Wonk. Used in that context or any other. Wonky, yes, Wonk, no. Are you sure this is an AmE word?Mindynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-85560899470560637652012-12-24T22:20:40.641+00:002012-12-24T22:20:40.641+00:00I am one American who thought "wonk" was...I am one American who thought "wonk" was British. In fact, I thought it was British reverse-spelling slang, like "yob". On the other hand, I have been reading The Economist for about 30 years.<br /><br />Charles Wells<br /><br />Charles Wellshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14261531542957899211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-63294753151491715662012-12-24T15:19:05.187+00:002012-12-24T15:19:05.187+00:00Is "boffin" an approximate BrE correlate...Is "boffin" an approximate BrE correlate of "wonk"? It's very gradually catching on in the US, partly because it's so much fun to say (and sounds slightly dirty to American ears).Nancy Friedmanhttp://nancyfriedman.typepad.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-84330428722057958962012-12-24T15:04:45.376+00:002012-12-24T15:04:45.376+00:00Congratulations on finally finding a 2012 US-to-UK...Congratulations on finally finding a 2012 US-to-UK Word of the Year, Lynne -- though I feel it has been a difficult confinement. For one thing, hasn't "wonk" (in the "policy wonk" collocation) been around for yonks on this (eastern) side of the Atlantic? Or am I just too much of a news-and-comment wonk myself to be able to avoid the effects of "professional deformation"? (<- a French to English transmission, that -- but one that belongs to "Separated by Common False Friendship")<br /><br />For what it's worth, I don't think there's any connection between "wonk" and the (British only?) word "wonky", meaning "unsteady, shaky". <br /><br />I always picture wonks as having long and brightly-coloured standing-up hair (at least, in their inner, real appearance) ...Oh no: that's GONKS! Still, I think they're closely related :-)Kevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10718209592445394736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-47295343109970982852012-12-24T11:40:24.795+00:002012-12-24T11:40:24.795+00:00What do you call a donkey with three legs? Answer:...What do you call a donkey with three legs? Answer: a wonky<br /><br />That's the kind of joke (groan) that Brits expect to find in their Christmas crackers - small explosive devices wrapped in shiny paper, also usually including a small toy and a paper hat.<br /><br />During the search for these newly-transferred transatlantic words, I began to speculate a) that there are no/few such transfers any more, as out movies and TV experiences are so similar (but this is counterbalanced by the wonderful crop of 'untranslatables' in the same posting, b) that we are relying on written evidence for new words that must surely be spoken in order to interest a linguist! Radio and TV usages are a kind of half-way house because much of the talk is actually scripted - and then we have transcripts from these programmes to add to the 'corpus'... biochemistnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-55292427487900509882012-12-24T10:01:17.950+00:002012-12-24T10:01:17.950+00:00Andrew "Two-brains" Willets (sic) was su...Andrew "Two-brains" Willets (sic) was surely the original UK policy wonk, way back in the post 1997 Tory party.<br />But then that was probably still jargon, since I was at the time something of a policy wonk myself.Andy Holyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05499547850790387341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-15526821749811698112012-12-24T09:56:35.800+00:002012-12-24T09:56:35.800+00:00swot has a whole different meaning in US business....swot has a whole different meaning in US business. from the wikipedia<br />Setting the objective should be done after the SWOT analysis has been performed. This would allow achievable goals or objectives to be set for the organization.<br /><br /> Strengths: characteristics of the business, or project team that give it an advantage over others<br /> Weaknesses: are characteristics that place the team at a disadvantage relative to others<br /> Opportunities: external chances to improve performance (e.g. make greater profits) in the environment<br /> Threats: external elements in the environment that could cause trouble for the business or project<br /><br />Roger Owen Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05298172138307632062noreply@blogger.com