One use of this term dates from the 1920s and referred to a carnival actor who, among other things, bit off the heads of chickens. In the 1960s and 1970s, a geek was a derogatory term given to smart social outcasts stereotyped as wearing thick glasses and plastic shirt-pocket protectors. Currently the term geek has a broader and less derogatory connotation for specialists in various fields of knowledge, including computer-savvy individuals, some of whom like to hack systems. Computer geeks, as they approach their thirties, often tend to find well-paying jobs such as system administrators or system architects.

See Also: Administrator; Hacker.