# Perk, or perq? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 11, 2012, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perk-or-perq/637418 "2012-10-11T14:22:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perk-or-perq/637418/21 "2012-10-11T17:22:08Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > The thing is, I’m pretty sure tranquilizer is most commonly shorted to tranq. I was about to say the same thing. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen it spelled “trank”, and if I had, I wouldn’t immediately know what it meant except in context ,as opposed to “perk” vs “perq”, both of which are immediately obvious (albeit with multiple possible meanings for the former.) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perk-or-perq/637418/22 "2012-10-11T17:26:39Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > . . . “nucular” becomes “nuke,” . . . No, there can’t be a shortened version of something that itself is not a word. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perk-or-perq/637418/23 "2012-10-11T17:30:22Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > No, there can’t be a shortened version of something that itself is not a word. Wow. How did I do that? I’m slipping. _Nuclear_. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perk-or-perq/637418/24 "2012-10-11T17:31:21Z")
This is the same phenomenon that changed “mike” (short for “microphone”) to “mic,” which always sounds like “mick” in my head. Personally, I favor perq[sup]u[/sup], but I’m weird that way. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perk-or-perq/637418/25 "2012-10-11T17:34:35Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > The thing is, I’m pretty sure tranquilizer is most commonly shorted to tranq. Well, neither [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) nor [m-w.com](http://m-w.com) have a listing for it. My OS X dictionary finds “tranq” under the main definition “trank” listing it as “(also tranq)”. That said, “tranq shot” does indeed return a hell of a lot more (\>10x) results than “trank shot.” ETA: However, “animal trank” returns about 5K, and “animal tranq” about 4K. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perk-or-perq/637418/26 "2012-10-11T18:01:12Z")
> [@Gymnopithys](#): > > Perchè ? Just _perchè_. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perk-or-perq/637418/27 "2012-10-11T19:16:54Z")
> [@Gymnopithys](#): > > Perchè ? Butter. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perk-or-perq/637418/28 "2012-10-12T19:47:07Z")
Perk. I didn’t even know of the existence of the word perquisite. And knowing that word is the only reason you’d allow such a nonstandard spelling as having a q at the end of a word, without a ue. (Iraq excluded because it’s foreign.) That’s why tranq still exists–everyone knows it means tranquilizer. > [@TriPolar](#): > > I’ve always seen it spelled as ‘perk’. I imagine a lot of people think it’s called that because it’s a benefit that would ‘perk you up’. Not quite, but close enough. I always assumed the derivation was similar. I seriously just learned of the existence of perquisite in the last couple of weeks. And I’m someone who always maxes out on those quizzes that test your vocabulary. (It was actually one of the things that my psychiatrist used to discover I had OCD.) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perk-or-perq/637418/29 "2012-10-12T20:30:34Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Perk. I didn’t even know of the existence of the word perquisite. And now it’s on a message board where someone else might discover it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perk-or-perq/637418/30 "2012-10-12T20:51:07Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Perk. I didn’t even know of the existence of the word perquisite. And knowing that word is the only reason you’d allow such a nonstandard spelling as having a q at the end of a word, without a ue. (Iraq excluded because it’s foreign.) That’s why tranq still exists–everyone knows it means tranquilizer. > > Not quite, but close enough. I always assumed the derivation was similar. I seriously just learned of the existence of perquisite in the last couple of weeks. And I’m someone who always maxes out on those quizzes that test your vocabulary. (It was actually one of the things that my psychiatrist used to discover I had OCD.) I’m thinking that there’s a generational distinction here between the people who didn’t know perquisite was even a word and those who do. As we’ve seen here, lots of people know the word, perk (the reasonable way to spell it), and don’t even know it’s derivation. That’s because the word, perquisite, is no longer in common use, but perk is. But if you’re old enough, and god knows many of us are, you will recognize the word on a vocabulary test. That’s also probably true for lots of words. (Hijacking my own thread - many years ago I had to take the GRE. I had been out of school for quite some time. Results showed I killed the written portion, but didn’t do as well in the math. What I remember about the math was that it had several questions of a type that I had NEVER seen before, and so struggled with to solve by my old-fashioned ways. I figured that younger people taking the test would be familiar with those types of questions and would do better on them, having learned some easier or quicker ways of figuring them out, but I was plenty well-groomed in grammar and language use, as opposed to many of the “kids” taking the test, who had gone through school when those things received less emphasis.) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perk-or-perq/637418/31 "2012-10-12T20:58:29Z")
[Merriam-Webster:](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perk) > [@](#): > > perk noun > plural perks > 1 : something extra that someone receives in addition to regular pay for doing a job — usually plural ▪ The job came with several perks, including use of a company car. > 2 : a good thing that you have or get because of your situation — usually plural ▪ One of the perks of being a celebrity is that people often want to give you things. [Dictionary.com](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/perk) > [@](#): > > perk   > noun (Informal). > perquisite. > Origin: > 1815–25; by shortening and respelling [The Free Dictionary](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/perk) > [@](#): > > perk (pûrk) > n. Informal > A perquisite: “Temper tantrums over perks are more common than the American taxpayer might like to believe” (Maureen Dowd). The word is spelled “perk.” There is no English word “perq.” ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perk-or-perq/637418/32 "2012-10-12T22:22:07Z")
Something else I discovered by looking this up is that apparently in Australia “perk up” means “to vomit”. Does it also have the “cheer or liven up” meaning in addition? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perk-or-perq/637418/33 "2012-10-12T23:34:52Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Something else I discovered by looking this up is that apparently in Australia “perk up” means “to vomit”. Does it also have the “cheer or liven up” meaning in addition? I haven’t heard it used here for vomit, but I have heard it used for “cheer up” and someone who is “perky” is in good spirits. I wonder if the vomit use is out dated, or restricted to a particular population. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perk-or-perq/637418/34 "2012-10-13T12:28:02Z")
As long as we’re at it, the word \*perk \*existed long before coffee percolators but once it came to be used as a short form of _percolate_, it became confused with the original meaning, polluting the meaning of _percolate_. \*Percolate \*means _filter_ _gradually_, not “violently toss something up and make a popping noise.” 🙂 Landscapers speak of a \*perk test \*meaning to measure at what rate water is absorbed and filters through the soil (although they may spell it _perc_). ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perk-or-perq/637418/35 "2012-10-13T12:32:55Z")
Anyone know where the OED stands on this highly contraversial issue? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perk-or-perq/637418/36 "2012-10-13T17:16:10Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > \*Percolate \*means _filter_ _gradually_, not “violently toss something up and make a popping noise.” 🙂 > > Landscapers speak of a \*perk test \*meaning to measure at what rate water is absorbed and filters through the soil (although they may spell it _perc_). Its literal meaning in Latin is ‘go through a colander’ (or sieve, or or strainer, or filter). _Per-_ means ‘go all the way through to the other side’. _Colum_ means ‘colander’ (or sieve/strainer/filter). ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perk-or-perq/637418/37 "2012-10-13T20:59:49Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > . . . “nucular” becomes “nuke,” . . . > [@panache45](#): > > No, there can’t be a shortened version of something that itself is not a word. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Wow. How did I do that? I’m slipping. _Nuclear_. I blame Bush. [sup]I can’t believe no one beat me to that… You’re slipping, people. Especially you Lefties. No more perks for you![/sup] ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perk-or-perq/637418/38 "2012-10-13T21:14:48Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > [sup]No more perks for you![/sup] Lefties don’t perk their coffee anyway - they use drip coffeemakers.😉 ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perk-or-perq/637418/39 "2012-10-13T21:20:15Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I"nucular" becomes “nuke,” Nuclear physics ain’t so new, and it ain’t so clear! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perk-or-perq/637418/40 "2012-10-13T21:45:37Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > I blame Bush. > > [sup]I can’t believe no one beat me to that… You’re slipping, people. Especially you Lefties. No more perks for you![/sup] IIRC Carter also said nucular. It shouldn’t have been used as evidence of Bush’s lack of intelligence. It was only approriate in parody as a mannerism. Also, going back about 20 years, my 5 year old wanted to get nuclear Pepsi. It was actually the short lived Clear Pepsi, which was new. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perk-or-perq/637418.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perk-or-perq/637418.md?page=3)