SNARKY thread - Explaining the ILLUSIVE WORD so often associated w/ KO...

[WhirlyGirl]

*Attempts to explain the ILLUSIVE WORD so often associated with KO:

The Maven's Word of the Day
http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20010206

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Dictionary.com
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=snarky
snark·y (snärk)
adj. Slang snark·i·er, snark·i·est
Irritable or short-tempered; irascible.
<From dialectal snark, to nag, from snark, snork, to snore, snort, from Dutch and Low German snorken, of imitative origin.>
snarki·ly adv.

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Urbandictionary.com
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=snarky

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Freesearch
http://www.freesearch.co.uk/dictionary/snarky

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WordDetective
http://www.word-detective.com/112304.html
(SCROLL all the way to the bottom. Entry title: "As if.")

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*Add your own definitions, or others' definitions -- or post contexts in which you find the word being used.

[Catchawave]

1. Yep, that's me....

..irritable and short tempered. But it's cuter on Keef...LOL.

[WhirlyGirl]

2. "cuter on Keef"

I've always thought the word mis-applied to KO -- since he's more witty, or waggish, than cynical and sarcastic.

BAD writers!!! :spank:

If writers insist on describing Keith as snarky, however, the inadequacy of either current definition to describe his sense of humor may eventually result in the word being given a THIRD definition tailored more to that specific mission.

[cry baby]

3. Snark has become my favorite word! Plus when I use it and someone

doesn't know what "snark" is, I get to tell them about DU and the KOEB.:loveya:

[crispini]

4. I like the urbandictionary.com definition best:

(adjective) describes a witty mannerism, personality, or behavior that is a combination of sarcasm and cynicism. Usually accepted as a complimentary term. Snark is sometimes mistaken for a snotty or arrogant attitude.

[Gogi]

5. The definition of my German surname is:

A grumpy, argumentative person.

:toast:

:loveya: KO

[RevCheesehead]

6. If it's Schultz, then I'm with you!

Because that was my mom's name!

Actually, MY surname is awfully, awfully close to Keith's. :)

[Gogi]

10. No, my name is not as long as Olbermann.

But it has six letters and people are always spelling it or pronouncing it wrong so I am at one with KO on that.

[Clark2008]

36. This is what I always considered the definition to be

and I'm pretty far from anyplace "urban." (Knoxville, TN is a city, but hardly a city in the vernacular. LOL!)

[Nothing Without Hope]

7. Interesting - Urban Dictionary says it comes from "snide" + "remark"

which sounds about right.

Snark to me is wit with an edge, that is, KEEN. Not malicious exactly but even more distant from fluffy. There is a sense of quickness, nimbleness, great cleverness. Voltaire was possibly the greatest exponent of snark of the famous people that I can think of quickly. Each person's individual snark has its own unique essence, difficult to define but definitely there and recognizable to one familiar with it.

Snark also has the feel of an inside joke, since only other keenly intelligent people will get the joke and only those with a similar sense of humor will appreciate it. Guess that's a compliment to all us KOEBers, since we get and appreciate Keef's great snark to the max!

Hello and good evening to you all!
:hi:

[RevCheesehead]

8. Hi there, Hope!

Hey, if it's snarky you want, might I suggest a snarky reading of 2 Corinthians? Both letters (1 + 2 Corinthians) are actually a compilation of 5 letters Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. He got beat up there, emotionally. When I sat down and read OUT LOUD 2 Corinthians, I finally got it! Paul was the King of Snark!! :)

[Nothing Without Hope]

9. Now you've got me curious. Which passage are you considering?

Here's a look-up site with multiple Bible translations: http://www.biblegateway.com

By the way, here's the latest Republican Jesus from the wonderful satirical hypocrisy-busting site, Jesus' General (http://patriotboy.blogspot.com). The greedy cruelty of Republican Jesus shouts the contrast between the policies of the pseudoreligous neocons and the living philosophy of the man they say they follow.

Today, RJ is musing on the profits to be made in health care by imaginative billing:

[RevCheesehead]

13. Aaack! Republican Jesus!

The ULTIMATE oxymoron! (what a hoot! Even down to the suit, tie, and US Flag lapel pin!)

What is it with these evangelicals and their fear of all things "normal"? I am referring to their disdain for the RSV and the NRSV. Surely, it couldn't be something so simple as copyright? I think there may be certain subtle translations that they fear. The NRSV - if read closely - could rock their world.

[Nothing Without Hope]

15. Oh, do I ever agree! And I recommend this terrific animation

It's called "Becoming a Republican," and it is amazing. Hilarious but biting, too, because it is both ludicrous and all too true. Many wonderful lines from it; one of my favorites is, "As a Republican, you must love, worship and ignore Jesus."

Because, of course, anyone who actually READS what he was all about sees the compassion and tolerance and contempt for greed and hypocrisy. It's not subtle, and in fact some of his harshest language was directed at some power-hungry hypocrites who would have fit right into the neocon cartel that has stolen this country. He wasn't that friendly toward the guys making profits in the Temple, either! But he sat down to dinner and friendship with what was the dregs and outcasts of society. He said not one word about gays, at least any that the early Church fathers who codified the New Testament allowed to get in. Since male homosexuals make up something like between 1 in 10 to 1 in 20 of all men, he was obviously surrounded by them. But no declarations of how they were sinful or to be despised. Very telling, I think.

The "Becoming Republican" animation was linked to in the OP of this thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=1640702

ed:sp

[Nothing Without Hope]

16. For your delectation, here are some of the other Republican Jesus sayings

They are all wonderful. The selection in the link below is just what the guy who runs Jesus' General sells on merchandise like T-shirts and mugs. He has produced many more Republican Jesus cartoons -- they are so perfect for showing up the Rethugs for what they really are.
http://www.cafepress.com/patriotboy/313212

[bunny planet]

37. Now that is funny

[WhirlyGirl]

11. LOL! The longer we're at this, the more we sound like the participants...

... in one of those exclusive wine tastings!

"Olbermann 1959 Gewürztraminer: A fresh, complex and spicy vintage with unusual depth and a perceptible sweetness."

A toast to the KOEB :toast: with Olbermann 1959!

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<< Snark to me is wit with an edge, that is, KEEN. Not malicious exactly but even more distant from fluffy. There is a sense of quickness, nimbleness, great cleverness. Voltaire was possibly the greatest exponent of snark of the famous people that I can think of quickly.
Each person's individual snark has its own unique essence, difficult to define but definitely there and recognizable to one familiar with it.
Snark also has the feel of an inside joke, since only other keenly intelligent people will get the joke and only those with a similar sense of humor will appreciate it. . . >> Hope

[Nothing Without Hope]

12. Oh you have definitely hit on something there, WG!

"Olbermann 1959 Gewürztraminer: A fresh, complex and spicy vintage with unusual depth and a perceptible sweetness."

Oh, yeah! :P I'll drink to that!!! :toast:

:loveya: :loveya: :beer: :loveya: :loveya:

[RevCheesehead]

14. I prefer "Liebfraumilch."

:evilgrin: (loosely translated: "beloved mother's milk") Oh, wait - that didn't sound right. How about Liebherrmilch?

[WhirlyGirl]

17. Rev, even your substitution has...

... SUGGESTIVE overtones...

(If you haven't tried Gewürztraminer -- esp. Olbermann '59 -- you have a treat in store for you! :9)

[RevCheesehead]

32. Oh, I've lived in the Santa Ynez Valley (CA) for a year.

Among the prominent residents: MJ, Bob Eubanks, Rona Barrett, and Ronald Reagan (his ranch at the top of the mountain).

Nearby was the Firestone Vineyard. I'm no wine-expert, but their Gewurtztraminer was wonderful. But my personal favorite was their Johannesburg Riesling ('87).

As to the Olbermann, I'll take ANY year.

"suggestive overtones..." Sheesh. :eyes:
ME?

(of course! Why do you think I wrote it?)

[Nothing Without Hope]

34. Santa Ynez! When I was a grad student at UCSD, my friends and I would

drive to Santa Ynez for a day trip sometimes. There is (or was, if it is gone) a bakery there that makes some of the best bread I have ever tasted, so we would bring sandwich fixings except for the bread, get the best -- my personal favorite was the potato bread, steaming fragrantly right from the oven -- and then have picnics. Long ago, but fondly remembered!

[RevCheesehead]

35. You are correct.

I'll be dipped if I can remember the name of the bakery, but it was in Solvang (where I lived). Lovely little Danish community - it attracted tourists from all over. One of my best friends (and choir member) was the maintenance guy for the big hotel-bakery chain.

(God, I loved him!! But I also loved his wife and daughter. O8) He was one of the finest people I have ever known.)

Oh, those memories!

[crispini]

18. Oh, and...

<vocabulary pedant> I think the word you want in your title is elusive, meaning "hard to comprehend or define," not illusive, which pertains to illusion.

</vocabularly pedant>

Sorry, English major here! :hi:

[gkhouston]

19. I've been thinking that

but it's such an interesting typo, I was going to let it stand. Much more fun than back when you guys were being neither discrete nor discreet. }( And Greenie's almost gotten to that day.

[WhirlyGirl]

20. Yipes! Flummoxed by a homophone!!!

Of course I meant ELUSIVE!!!

"Mr. Dictionary has failed us yet again."
~ Keith Olbermann, on countless occasions

:nuke:

-- WhirlyG (English major also... if you can believe it after this! LOL!!! :eyes:)

[Nothing Without Hope]

22. Thanks. It was bothering me a bit too. Shall we agree to correct spelling

in thread titles? I wasn't an English major, but I grew up going to Catholic schools, and those nuns really drilled on spelling. (The phonics helped and the spelling bees were deadly serious.) So I'm spelling-obsessed for life. Sigh. There are worse traumas.

[gkhouston]

23. with Keith gone, it's going to be a slow week

we may need to discuss "worse traumas" just for the entertainment value! :D

[Nothing Without Hope]

24. uh-oh!!! Nope, there's lots better entertainment than that!

And Keef stand-in Alison is coming along pretty well. If she reads our KOEB threads, we can give her some wise advice!

[Nothing Without Hope]

21. Trudeau's Doonesbury strip features the adjective "snarky"

I love this one - Secretary of Toady Affairs! So true. And of course he's allergic to snark - which he seems to view as "non-grovelling."

(I found this strip in this DU thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3272395 )

[WhirlyGirl]

25. Hope! -- this just HAS to be a reference to Keith as non-grovelling!

Who else is the word SNARK identified with more than with KO?!!!
:bounce:

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<< I love this one - Secretary of Toady Affairs! So true. And of course he's allergic to snark - which he seems to view as "non-grovelling." >> Hope

[Nothing Without Hope]

26. Well, it's specifically about the WH Press Corps, but I have no doubt that

thoughts of Keith were behind the use of the word in some way. Who on TV has more snark than he does? In fact, who else is DESCRIBED as being snarky? And if he WERE in the WH press corps, they would be afraid to ever call on him. He would shred their non-logic and bring up things that they really rather not have revealed, like documentation of the truth vs. their lies.

So no, not KO specifically, but he has surely injected something that had all but disappeard from corporate journalism: spine combined with snark. It's a devastating combination, one they fear with good reason.

I'm expecting one of the big networks to invite him for a cushy job and then institute rules of suppression. It's one way to shut him up, if they could build it into a contract he would sign. Tempting to a jouralist, to perhaps be asked to replace Koppell -- but what would the small print say?

[WhirlyGirl]

27. If we found out Trudeau and KO were friends, would you believe it was...

... a direct shout-out, then?

Anyway... I like to think it WAS! :-)

Thanks for posting that strip, Hope! I'm printing it out for my KO notebook.

[Nothing Without Hope]

28. Wow, a KO notebook! Do you have his famous Jeopardy interview & video?

http://www.jeopardy.com/mini_sites/archive_header/index.html?/mini_sites/powerplayers/contestants.html

Scroll down to find our Keef and you can watch and read. Here's the thumbnail on the page - you have to laugh at the classic columns surrounding his snarky visage:


In fact, it really looks like a Keef shrine! All it needs is candles and incense, like the baseball shrine in Bull Durham, a movie I'm sure Keith knows well. Maybe CC will photoshop something, that would be a gas.

In the interview, he seems a bit ill at ease to me--game shows are not really his style--but it is still fun to see him. And it's for a good cause.

[WhirlyGirl]

29. Yes, I'd found that one thanks to Google...

... and Quanlin posted an earlier one on Olberman.org, which I just listened to last week!

Jeopardy interviews posted on O.o's Video & Audio page (http://olbermann.org/ko/index.cfm?go=Video) follow --

JEOPARDY
Pre-game Interview (May 13, 2004) What charity are you playing for? What was your reaction when you got "the call" to be on Jeopardy!? Have you sized up your competiton? Did you do anything to prepare for today?
-- http://olbermann.org/ko/video_detail.cfm?id=31

JEOPARDY
Pre-game Interview (Mar 22, 1999) How did Keith prepare for the Celebrity Jeopardy challenge? "I ate the entire encyclopedia."
-- http://olbermann.org/ko/video_detail.cfm?id=34

With regard to that shrine, folks already started one a while back in which KO features prominently, called -- what else? -- "The SportsCenter Altar."

[Nothing Without Hope]

30. I should have guessed!

With regard to that shrine, folks already started one a while back in which KO features prominently, called -- what else? -- "The SportsCenter Altar."
:eyes:

Got to laugh, which is a good thing. Thanks for the links!
:hi:

[WhirlyGirl]

31. Yup, Keith has been TGKO - "The Great Keith Olbermann" - for a long time.

We're just the latest ones to find it out! :-)

[Nothing Without Hope]

33. Maybe so, but there's no doubting that he has improved with maturity!

It may take our superior taste and fine appreciation to see it, though!

To the non-callow Keef of now and the future!
:toast:

[WhirlyGirl]

38. Well, at least he got rid of that stupid moustache!

It was SCARING the caterpillars! :scared::scared:

[gkhouston]

39. wouldn't work. He'd walk on the contract in about 3 seconds.

I think he's probably got enough of a financial cushion now to tell 'em to go piss up a rope and just sit it out until his contract is up.

I can't think of a carrot big enough to make him sign a contract that would entangle him so badly that he'd be forced to stick it out in a straitjacket job. He's a smart man and is going to be wary of any deals that smell too good to be true. And I think he's actually pretty happy with "Countdown", MJ coverage aside.

[WhirlyGirl]

40. I agree, gk. Recall just last Fri: "And it really IS a 'fat wallet,' too!"

He has a talent he can take anywhere.

And he's demonstrated he can be a success at what ever he turns his hand to.