There was an article in the business section of the Tribune today about microjobs...or doing pieces of jobs online. I was intrigued with their use of the word "Turkers" to mean those microtaskers who do that sort of work (such as 100-word product descriptions that pay $2.25 each). Apparently the word "Turker" comes from Amazon's Mechanical Turk, an online labor market that pairs businesses, or "requesters" with Turkers.

Have you seen this word used before? Can I assume it comes from Turkey? I remember when I was a little girl there was this man who had a welding business (or something), and my grandfather always called him "The Turk."

Never heard of it. I've heard "Young Turk," meaning a revolutionary. Maybe there's a connection, given the revolution in technology.

Personally, I favor aged Armenians. Ever hear of Cherilyn Sarkasian? Or Ed Iskenderian? Or William Saroyan?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Geoff,

Perhaps a typo for "turkey", someone willing to be paid only $2.25 for a 100-word description.

See second paragraph: http://www.pcmag.com/encyclope...urker&i=57289,00.asp

I had thought about that but cast it aside as not apt. However, I've written to the author of the piece asking for his definition of the term.

Geoff's link to PC Magazine seems to explain it all; both the present day use and the origin of the term.

Yes, it explains the Amazon Turkers. It doesn't, however, explain my childhood "The Turk" memory. I imagine he must have been from Turkey.

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It doesn't, however, explain my childhood "The Turk" memory. I imagine he must have been from Turkey.

Very probably. Turkey was a moderately exotic place a hundred years ago and more, hence for instance (partially) the use of "turkey" to describe the bird so many eat at Thanksgiving and Xmas because they were imported to Europe via Turkey.

People would also be hazy about where someone actually came from: a person from, say, Armenia or Syria, would quite likely be described as Turkish simply because most people had heard of that country.

I am reminded of a line in "Zorba the Greek:" "God has a very big eye but there is one sin he will not forgive. If a woman calls a man to her bed and he will not go. I know because a very wise old Turk told me." Maybe "The Turk" was the town stud?

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You mean, YOU'RE the town stud? Do you wipe the women off with a Turkish towel after you get them all sweaty?

The Greeks, of course, have had a long-standing emnity with the Turks, going back to their occupation under the Ottoman Empire and their War of Independence at the beginning of the 19th century.

I am minded of the time when I was visiting the Gent's of a pub once. The landlord had been overgenerous with the use of floral-scented air freshener. A rather large guy walked in and exclaimed, "Cor! Smells like a Turkish brothel in here!". I refrained from asking why it smelt particularly like a Turkish brothel, and if he was an expert in the odours of brothels worldwide.

It was that enmity that made Zorba's comment so funny, IMHO.