snarkLately, in my perusal of various blogs I've come across this seemingly strange word. The Dictionary.com and Wikipedia definitions don't quite capture the real flavor or essence of this wonderful term.
[Lewis Carroll, via the Michigan Terminal System] 1. A system failure. When a user's process bombed, the operator would get the message "Help, Help, Snark in MTS!"
2. More generally, any kind of unexplained or threatening event on a computer (especially if it might be a boojum). Often used to refer to an event or a log file entry that might indicate an attempted security violation. See snivitz.
3. UUCP name of snark.thyrsus.com, home site of the Hacker
Jargon File versions 2.*.*.
As near as I can tell, snarking is a form of sharp criticism, often exceedingly wry and/or satirical in nature. It's generally used in a negative context as a verb, noun or pretty much in any use the user can get away with.
I don't know why I love that word. It's just so.. snarky! The sound of it in the ear, the feel of it rolling off the tongue, even the taste of it as one digests its meaning. The word has attitude. Not many do but snark manages to pull it off.
In celebration of this Word of the Week(TM), use it in the next conversation you have! Really, just go up to the next person you see and say "Snark this, baby!!!"