# Cow-orker, Co-worker, Cow-irker.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cow-orker-co-worker-cow-irker/259430>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [August 11, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cow-orker-co-worker-cow-irker/259430 "2004-08-11T21:39:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cow-orker-co-worker-cow-irker/259430/1 "2004-08-11T21:39:34Z")

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What is the ratio of these three words on this board. I’d imagine ‘Co-worker’ is a distant last. and cow-irker second.

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**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cow-orker-co-worker-cow-irker/259430/2 "2004-08-11T21:45:14Z")

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> [@Lobsang](#):
>
> What is the ratio of these three words on this board. I’d imagine ‘Co-worker’ is a distant last. and cow-irker second.

Notwithstanding genuine typos, I think it depends on weather the subject being discussed is an incompetant ass, or a respected colleague.

I suspect “orker” is more common in the Pit. Not so sure about “irker”.

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**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cow-orker-co-worker-cow-irker/259430/3 "2004-08-11T21:50:15Z")

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So Cow-orker is a derogatory term?  
Well, I’d imagine there aren’t that many posts/threads where dopers have good things to say about their orkers.

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**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cow-orker-co-worker-cow-irker/259430/4 "2004-08-11T22:07:08Z")

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I think it was **Desert Geezer** (could be way off) that started a thred asking who the hell was orking all the cows. Quite original and amusing.

(Apologies if it was someone else)