# What's with "cow-orker"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 6, 2003, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-cow-orker/199975 "2003-09-06T19:43:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [September 6, 2003, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-cow-orker/199975/1 "2003-09-06T19:43:01Z")
The first time I saw “co-worker” spelled “cow-orker” (right here on the SDMB), I assumed it was a mere typing error. Then I saw it again. And again. Are people who spell it that way trying to be cute, or do they really think that’s how it’s spelled? Or do they all work on dairy farms, and spend their time orking the cows? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-cow-orker/199975/2 "2003-09-06T19:54:05Z")
Cute. And indirectly labeling them cows. ---
**Author:** ![twit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twit)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-cow-orker/199975/3 "2003-09-06T19:55:16Z")
I believe someone made a typo originally and then, one after another, others thought it looked funny enough to keep using it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-cow-orker/199975/4 "2003-09-06T19:56:48Z")
Manny peoples they try googling it. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-cow-orker/199975/5 "2003-09-06T19:59:57Z")
Because they find their co-workers to be **cow** s and **irker** s (say it out loud - it comes out the same) ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-cow-orker/199975/6 "2003-09-06T20:11:07Z")
It’s from Scott Adams and the Dilbert Newsletter. At least, that’s the earliest I ever saw it. It first appeared in Dilbert Newsletter 17.0, August 1997: > **[Welcome to Dilbert](https://dilbert.com/)** > > The Official Dilbert Website featuring Scott Adams Dilbert strips, animation, mashups and more starring Dilbert, Dogbert, Wally, The Pointy Haired Boss, Alice, Asok, Dogberts New Ruling Class and more. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Macphisto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Ms\_Macphisto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Macphisto)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-cow-orker/199975/7 "2003-09-06T20:13:23Z")
I belive it got its start in the Dilbert newsletter (Dogbert’s New Ruling Class). I found an old one with a glossary [here](http://www.dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/dnrc/html/newsletter37.html), just scroll down a little. ---
**Author:** ![Tradnor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cab0a1/32.png) [@Tradnor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tradnor)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-cow-orker/199975/8 "2003-09-06T21:32:43Z")
It’s been used on Usenet for longer than that, in newsgroups like talk.bizarre and alt.folklore.urban. A Google Groups search shows the term first becoming common in 1993. In [this post](http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=1993May27.142832.21249%40advtech.uswest.com&oe=UTF-8&output=gplain) from that year, someone claims he’s been using the term since 1989. ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-cow-orker/199975/9 "2003-09-06T21:33:15Z")
[The Jargon File entry](http://catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/C/cow-orker.html). ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-cow-orker/199975/10 "2003-09-07T02:07:00Z")
I first noticed it in the professional journals I get. These journals spell the word “coworker” which to me (if I didn’t know better) looks like it ought to be pronounced cow-orker. I’ve been getting the journals now for over 10 years. I suspect the “cute” spelling comes from a lot of other people looking at the unhyphenated word and thinking the same thing I did. ---
**Author:** ![raygirvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@raygirvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raygirvan)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-cow-orker/199975/11 "2003-09-07T10:23:58Z")
Agreed. I think it’s just a consequence of the trend toward dropping the hyphenation from “co-worker”; the pronunciation suddenly appears ambiguous. Similarly, I always think “shortlist” looks like an expert in shortling.