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| Alynna |
 Posted: Sun May 08, 2005 1:34 am |
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Joined: 01 Mar 2005
Posts: 24
Location: central Maryland
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| ...where the term "snarky" came from? What does it mean, exactly? To me, it's always had a sort of fangirl, pet-name connotation that didn't at all reflect the true character od Severus Snape. It's not an actual word, as far as I can tell (and I know some bizzare English words, dangit), so I'm assuming a fic writer somewhere coined it. |
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| azazello |
| Posted: Sun May 08, 2005 6:32 am |
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Joined: 29 Nov 2004
Posts: 183
Location: Northern UK
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As I understand it is an American term (largely) and means sarcastic and also nit picking. The term "Snark" may come from Lewis Carroll's "The Hunting of the Snark" where in fact the Snark was non-existent.
Whatever, as a fairly entrenched Brit who holds the heterodox belief that the Potterverse is a British "thing" I find the word "snark" in fanfic and attached to Snape irritating beyond belief.
To the extent that it is a backbuttoning offence when reading for fun, and a teeth grinding irritation when I am admining on SH.
It's not a term a brit (and therefore by implication any canon character) would use in good English. It's bad slang in any version of English, too. And generally, it's been my own experience that folks who use it do tend to be members of Genus Fangirlius.
So in short, to those who use the term, your Snark is a Boojum.
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| snarkypants |
| Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 2:11 pm |
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Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 14
Location: Texas, USA
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A quote from my story Solitaire:
Quote: “Do you suppose that you could be less...snarky...with me?”
“Snarky? What is this?” He curled his lip as if the word tasted bad.
“It’s a word. It means sarcastic, cranky, rude.”
“That sounds like American slang,” he said. "You can do better than that. Confine your comments to the Queen’s English, Spanish or Latin. Even French would be preferable, although I really wish you wouldn't.”
She barely restrained the childish urge to put out her tongue at him. "Do you suppose that you could be less arsy with me, then?"
"I am no more arsy with you than I am with anyone else, Hermione."
"There's a ringing endorsement, isn't it?"
This was my way of apologizing for my unwitting part in helping to bring the word 'snarky' into wider acceptance in HPFF.
I heard the word in the mid-90s, on the tv show "Homicide" and immediately adopted it to describe general curmudgeonly behavior, and when I started my online diarist/fanfic writer 'career,' I was going to call myself 'Smartypants,' but it was already taken. So, Snarkypants I was. And it's far too confusing to keep multiple user names, and to switch all of my stuff over to another name...so...Snarkypants I remain.
Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. |
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| azazello |
| Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 6:10 pm |
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Joined: 29 Nov 2004
Posts: 183
Location: Northern UK
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It's all right you using it about yourself. It's canon characters in fanfic using it about Severus I bar pretty strongly.
What's wrong with the word "sarcastic"? Because that's actually what he is. |
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Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony ~ Monty Python and the Holy Grail |
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| wiccarowan |
| Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2005 6:14 pm |
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Joined: 19 Jun 2005
Posts: 1
Location: UK
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I always thought it was somebody, right out there in the advent of Snape fanfic, getting the wrong end of the stick:
Sarcastic = sarky = snarky
Always used to say "sarky" when I was a kid, as in "there's no need to be sarky". |
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| goddessofsnark |
| Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2005 3:39 pm |
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Joined: 22 Aug 2005
Posts: 7
Location: New Jersey
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It's already been said as to what it is, although I've always considered snark to be a lot more biting and deadpan.
Whereas there is a sarcastic tone of voice that one uses when being sarcastic, if you're being snarky, you're deadpanning it and not giving the person any clue that you're making fun of them. Thus snark can be a lot crueller than sarcasm.
I first heard it in the HP fandom and then saw it applied to ER which is where I created my current moniker... |
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| Fraggle Grrrrrrl |
| Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2005 7:36 pm |
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Joined: 18 Jul 2005
Posts: 5
Location: PDX, OR
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From the Urban Dictionary:
Quote: Snarky
Adjective - Any language that contains quips or comments containing sarcastic or satirical witticisms intended as blunt irony. Usually delivered in a manner that is somewhat abrupt and out of context and intended to stun and amuse. Origin: Snark="snide remark".
And since language evolves, and a lot of what we accept as common use words today were slang once upon a time, I will assume that eventually, this one will too.
Personally, seeing the word "snarky" in fanfiction makes my toes curl in disgust. Actually thinking of someone as snarky while writing them helps me get characterization in, especially during dialogue. |
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| TRE |
| Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 9:35 pm |
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Joined: 05 Aug 2005
Posts: 3
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| I first heard the term "snarky" back in the early days of x-files fan fiction. Eventually, Snarkypup was one of my favorite authors. |
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www.ofthesky.net |
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