<VV> fool - dupe - simpleton ;-)

[Tony Underwood]

At 01:12 PM 4/16/2007, Secular wrote:

>   geek
>
>   "sideshow freak," 1916, U.S. carnival and circus slang, perhaps a
>   variant of geck "a fool, dupe, simpleton" (1515), apparently from
>   Low Ger. geck, from an imitative verb found in North Sea Gmc.
>   and Scand. meaning "to croak, cackle," and also "to mock, cheat."



I saw an old documentary a while back, about side show and circus 
traditions and histories.   One of the show performers hosting the 
documentary said that a "geek" was a side show performer who had no 
natural "freak" quotient of the likes of Tom Thumb or Chang & Eng or 
the dogfaced boy or the hermaphrodites and/or other birth defect 
examples etc...  but instead they would do freakish things to 
themselves in order to wow the audience.   Usually, they would drive 
nails into their skulls or hang hooks in their skin, or cover 
themselves in tattoos or likewise  distort their bodies one way or 
another.    One other source said Geek was a slurred combo of Goon 
and Freak.    I'm not an authority but it seemed kinda logical to me.

I wondered a time or two if sniffing enough tube seal oil fumes would 
cause Geek effects...  and yes I *Have* been called a Corvair Geek.


tony..