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Grok may have cultural implications, but not only the ones you suggest. My husband's computer-geek friends are extremely fond of the word. My first contact with it was on one of his daily websites (slashdot) where the word is used and understood by most of the users. I believe that I would be correct to say that most (but not all) of the slashdot readers are approximately my age (20-30ish) and were not available to read it during your flower power revolution. (i'm not a regular reader of slashdot, correct me if I have the demographic wrong.) Perhaps the word isn't quite as dated as you say, though still only used by a select cultural group.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Driving around doing errands today. Radio on Maine Public Radio broadcast of address to National Press Club. I just caught a bit of it. Who was speaking heaven knows but he sounded authoritative. Anyway he was saying that words we take for granted as being around since time began are not really that old. He cited "Hello." According to speaker the word "hello" was made up as a telephone greeting that would be non-specific and neutral....after all what if a gentleman called on the phone and a lady answered ! Heavens! Remember that was the 1890s. The alternate proposed was "Ahoy!" The two men involved were Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison. I am unclear on exactly which man proposed which word but I think it was Bell for Hello and Edison for Ahoy!
Anyone have more? WOW
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old hand
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Ou resident etymythologist, Jazzoctopus, came up with a very good story regarding the origin of "hello."I think I have to add that title to by profile.  I liked my more recent essay on the origin of "point blank" more, but no one seemed to have anything to say about it.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Got it, xara. The dictionary entry should read "Grok, v., (colloq. use limited to geeks and aged freaks)."
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Carpal Tunnel
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coined by Heinlein in 1961, grok actually found its way into the 2nd edition of the OED, marked as U.S. slang:
a. trans. (also with obj. clause) To understand intuitively or by empathy; to establish rapport with. b. intr. To empathize or communicate sympathetically (with); also, to experience enjoyment.
therein are some fine citations, but I really enjoyed the last: 1984 InfoWorld 21 May 32 "There isn't any software! Only different internal states of hardware. It's all hardware! It's a shame programmers don't grok that better."
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OP
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the word "hello" was made up as a telephone greeting
I am totally gobsmacked by this, and am going for a little lie down.
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Maybe one of my wife's favorites comes into this category. If I'm going to bed before her, she will say, "Pull out the clock for (time)." This means, of course, pull out the little doohickey which turns on the alarm.
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To get back to the original subject of this thread, I propose a 4th category for what might be called "temporizing" words; i.e., some sound, if not a real word, which allows the speaker to gather his wits. Some illustrations:
1. Major Hoople, in the immortal comic "our Boarding House", was fond of "Fap!"
2. In a Dorothy Sayers novel set in Scotland, there is a Scottish policeman who is fond of "Aye, imphm."
3. In a detective novel, I forget which one, there is a character whose use of "Mmmf" constitutes half his dialog.
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In reply to:
If I'm going to bed before her, she will say, "Pull out the clock for (time)." This means, of course, pull out the little doohickey which turns on the alarm.
I think this is an example of synecdoche (using the part to refer to the whole or vice versa) than ellipsis.
Bingley
Bingley
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