# I have never seen or heard the word "grok" outside of this message board.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-never-seen-or-heard-the-word-grok-outside-of-this-message-board/692882>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [July 11, 2014, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-never-seen-or-heard-the-word-grok-outside-of-this-message-board/692882 "2014-07-11T19:18:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-never-seen-or-heard-the-word-grok-outside-of-this-message-board/692882/41 "2014-07-16T16:00:42Z")

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> [@RTFirefly](#):
>
> Never read _The Number of the Beast_.

I tried to listen through it as an audiobook on my long commutes. I couldn’t make it through it. Too much sex and not enough space ships!

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**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-never-seen-or-heard-the-word-grok-outside-of-this-message-board/692882/42 "2014-07-16T22:08:13Z")

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> [@tracer](#):
>
> I tried to listen through it as an audiobook on my long commutes. I couldn’t make it through it. Too much sex and not enough space ships!

Aww, you shoulda stuck with it. IIRC, about chapter 79, they retrofit the spaceship so _it_ can have sex…

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**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-never-seen-or-heard-the-word-grok-outside-of-this-message-board/692882/43 "2014-07-17T13:22:19Z")

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Having never read “Stranger…”, my first exposure to “grok” was '60s non-sense where it was used as an acronym–Getting Rid Of Karma. Didn’t see that in the Wiki article. Have I been whooshed? Enlighten me, please.

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**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-never-seen-or-heard-the-word-grok-outside-of-this-message-board/692882/44 "2014-07-17T13:28:07Z")

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Huh. Up to now I had always assumed “grok” originated with the argot of Alex and his droogs in _A Clockwork Orange_.

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