Hi, Mom!

Dictionary.com says the word "wonk" is of unknown origin. But have you ever noticed that "wonk" is "know" spelled backwards? And that wonks are people who know a lot? This simply cannot be a coincidence! I seem to have either solved a perplexing mystery or indulged in a meaningless exercise in folk etymology. Choose one.

By the way, the most often cited example of folk etymology is "strawberry". Most people assume the word has something to do with straw. Wrong! "Straw" is an archaic form of "strewn". They're called strawberries because they grow on vines that are strewn along the ground instead of being supported by an arbor like grapes.