If you keep an eye on the evolving language, you might want to check out the handy guide to current jargon at http://www.tendocom.com/view/jargon-watch.php. Doing that the other day, we noticed the word “grok.” Those of us who spent our formative years immersed in science fiction know this word — it was coined by author Robert Heinlein in his novel Stranger in a Strange Land and entered common usage for a time during the somewhat hallucinogenic sixties and seventies.

Tendo defines “grok” as Internet slang meaning “to understand something to an almost Zen-like state,” usually used by a subculture, such as techies. The folks at Tendo love the word, because it “…acts as a line in the sand: You get it or you don’t. It’s useful for separating out the nerd elite from the normal people.”

We like the word, too. It’s got a great sound (say it aloud a few times and you’ll see what we mean). But like any made-up word, if you don’t know what it means, you’ll just shake your head: Is it a bird? A plane? A noun? A verb? Like any jargon, its function as a business communication tool is limited to those people who “grok” it.

Happy New Year from the Write It Well team!