# Stupid and unsafe.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-and-unsafe/55081>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 19, 2001, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-and-unsafe/55081 "2001-02-19T15:59:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-and-unsafe/55081/1 "2001-02-19T15:59:08Z")

</div>

Gormless = idiot  
Reckless = dangerous  
So a safe sensible person is gormful and reckful, right?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-and-unsafe/55081/2 "2001-02-19T16:02:57Z")

</div>

Reckon so.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-and-unsafe/55081/3 "2001-02-19T16:20:38Z")

</div>

There are lots of words, **Pushkin** that we only seem to use in a negative form. For example, how often do you hear of someone being plussed or combobulated? There are plenty of other examples as well.

Zev Steinhardt

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-and-unsafe/55081/4 "2001-02-19T16:29:33Z")

</div>

Like, should we be happy if all of our cow orkers are simply “gruntled” instead of “disgruntled”?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-and-unsafe/55081/5 "2001-02-19T16:40:19Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by tanstaafl \*  
> \*\*Like, should we be happy if all of our cow orkers are simply “gruntled” instead of “disgruntled”? \*\*

I’ve occasionally heard the term gruntled, but what, pray tell, is a cow orker??? On second thought, I don’t want to know… 😃  
Zev Steinhardt

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![RonA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@RonA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RonA)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-and-unsafe/55081/6 "2001-02-19T16:45:53Z")

</div>

And if you drive without having an accident, aren’t you driving _“wreckless”_?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-and-unsafe/55081/7 "2001-02-19T16:46:10Z")

</div>

Although mildly interesting, this is bordering on MPSIMS…

That said, another example is in P. G. Wodehouse’s books. He says of one of his characters, “Although not disgruntled, he was clearly far from gruntled.”

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-and-unsafe/55081/8 "2001-02-19T16:54:10Z")

</div>

I was “whelmed” once. Just never got to the “over” stage!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Protesilaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Protesilaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Protesilaus)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-and-unsafe/55081/9 "2001-02-19T17:10:56Z")

</div>

Cecil on:  
[Is the opposite of “disgruntled” “gruntled”?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_264a.html)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dylan\_73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@dylan\_73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dylan_73)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-and-unsafe/55081/10 "2001-02-19T17:15:17Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by zev\_steinhardt \*  
> \*\*  
> I’ve occasionally heard the term gruntled, but what, pray tell, is a cow orker???  
> \*\*

It’s someone you ork in cow operation with… 🙂

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2001, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-and-unsafe/55081/11 "2001-02-19T17:58:15Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> I’ve occasionally heard the term gruntled, but what, pray tell, is a cow orker???

Cow orker is AFU speak for co worker. (AFU is, of course, the alt.folklore.urban newsgroup.) Someone made the typo at some point in the past and the term stuck. Seems appropriate to refer to some people _I_ work with anyway.