Can anyone think of the term that I've forgotten? We generally applied it to those students who did not have any outstanding intellectual ability, but worked so hard in preparing for courses that they appeared to have more to work with mentally than they actually possessed in terms of original thinking. Old-fashioned, but I've read of that type of student being called a
grind.
I would say that Dr. Bill's
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary offers the original definition of "a
carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes
biting the head off a live chicken or snake," and anchita's
“a performer who engaged in bizarre acts, such as biting the head off a live chicken.” most definitely fit tsuwm's
Originally, to be a "geek" was to have fallen so low as to be willing to do anything for a living, no matter how disgusting the task. 
Thanks, anchita, for that info. on circuses.
