anorak en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
* Borrowed from Greenlandic annoraaq. * (person with obsessive interest): Originally referring to train spotters (because they would wear anoraks while looking out for trains).
Meanings
-
A heavy weatherproof jacket with an attached hood; a parka or windcheater.
Don't ever use the hood on your anorak; and, if you do, for heaven's sake don't pull the string tight so that you peep out like a little baby in a siren suit.
1980, Bill Oddie, Bill Oddie's Little Black Bird Book, page 61:
-
(UK, slang) A person with an unusual or obsessive interest in a niche subject, especially trains.
He has described himself as the uber-geek, an anorak's anorak, a standard bearer for fellow Star Trekkies everywhere, and his air of bland, amiable bafflement has served him remarkably well in a string of TV and film roles.
2007 February 15, Maev Kennedy, “I used to say he was England's answer to John Cusack. Now I think he's England's answer to Jack Lemmon”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 24 Jan 2025:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| anoraks | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
anoraked · anoraky · anorakish
Descendants
Hyponyms
Relateds
rivet counter · trainspotter · foamer
Translations (35)
cy anoracs (heavy weatherproof jacket) · cy anorac (heavy weatherproof jacket) · cs zimní bunda (heavy weatherproof jacket) · de schrullige Person (geek or nerd) · da anorak (heavy weatherproof jacket) · ko 아노락 (heavy weatherproof jacket) · cs bunda (heavy weatherproof jacket) · nn anorakk (heavy weatherproof jacket) · af parka (heavy weatherproof jacket) · af anorak (heavy weatherproof jacket) · eo anorako (heavy weatherproof jacket) · de Eigenbrötler (geek or nerd) · ja アノラック (heavy weatherproof jacket) · de Sonderling (geek or nerd) · ca anorac (heavy weatherproof jacket) · pl anorak (heavy weatherproof jacket) · sv anorak (heavy weatherproof jacket) · cmn 皮猴兒 /皮猴儿 (heavy weatherproof jacket) · pt anoraque (heavy weatherproof jacket) · sl anorak (heavy weatherproof jacket) · ru ветро́вка (heavy weatherproof jacket) · nb anorakk (heavy weatherproof jacket) · es anorak (heavy weatherproof jacket) · hu anorák (heavy weatherproof jacket) · ru анора́к (heavy weatherproof jacket) · fr anorak (heavy weatherproof jacket) · el άνορακ (heavy weatherproof jacket) · fo anorakkur (heavy weatherproof jacket) · de Anorak (heavy weatherproof jacket) · fi anorakki (heavy weatherproof jacket) · gd anarag (heavy weatherproof jacket) · pt quispo (heavy weatherproof jacket) · id anorak (heavy weatherproof jacket) · it giacca a vento (heavy weatherproof jacket) · af windbaajie (heavy weatherproof jacket)