Nerd Sniping

What Does Nerd Sniping Mean?

Nerd sniping is a slang term that describes a particularly interesting problem that is presented to a nerd, often a physicist, tech geek or mathematician. The nerd stops all activity to devote attention to solving the problem, often at his or her own peril.

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Techopedia Explains Nerd Sniping

The term was coined in the xkcd comic strip. In the comic, a complex physics problem is shown to a physicist crossing the road. He becomes so wrapped up in the problem that he is run over by a truck. Although the term jokes about killing nerds, and this aspect of the comic is how the term gets its name, nerd sniping is commonly used to refer to a problem designed to stump, rather than kill, a person.

xkcd comic about nerd sniping

Source: xkcd.com

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…