sy]]]]] WORD OF THE DAY: gearhead (GEER-hed) noun
A technology enthusiast, e.g. a person with a deep interest in the inner working of computers, automobiles, etc.
[From gear, from Middle English gere (equipment) + head, from Middle English, from Old English heafod.]
"Pauline and his compatriots were true hard-core gearheads: they loved the oily complexities of machines, and understood the internal mechanics that are, to the rest of us, an inscrutable mesh of wires and servos."
Brad Stone; Gearheads; Simon & Schuster, New York; 2003. http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743229517/ws00-20/
"I might as well conclude with a gearhead's account of how to shut off splash-screen displays, even though it's probably more trouble than it's worth."
James Coates; Windows 95 Software Works With XP Wizard; Chicago Tribune; May 3, 2003.
This week's theme: slang/informal terms.
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http://wordsmith.org/words/gearhead.wav
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