[kaycebasques]

A common verb "now"??

> Grok (/ˈɡrɒk/) is a neologism coined by the American writer Robert A. Heinlein for his 1961 science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land. While the Oxford English Dictionary summarizes the meaning of grok as "to understand intuitively or by empathy, to establish rapport with" and "to empathize or communicate sympathetically (with); also, to experience enjoyment",[1] Heinlein's concept is far more nuanced, with critic Istvan Csicsery-Ronay Jr. observing that "the book's major theme can be seen as an extended definition of the term."[2] The concept of grok garnered significant critical scrutiny in the years after the book's initial publication. The term and aspects of the underlying concept have become part of communities such as computer science.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grok

[skarz]

Yes, "now". According to Google Trends[0] there was little to no search interest in the term until December 2023.

Usage of 'grokked' on HN: 1,147[1]

Usage of 'hacked' on HN: 37,272[2]

[0] https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&geo=US&q=g...

[1] https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&qu...

[2] https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&qu...

[johnisgood]

I do not think "hacked" is a good comparison, does not "to grok [smth]" mean "to understand [smth]"?

[plumeria]

Yes, it means to understand. First book from Manning that uses this verb is from 2016 [1]

[1] https://www.manning.com/books/grokking-algorithms

[andrehacker]

Compare this with Google trends for grokKED (to compare with the hacker news trend):

Google trend for grokKED: https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&geo=US&q=g...