Learn English – the origin of the name “grammar nazi”

etymology

What does Nazi have anything in common with those obsessively correcting other people's grammar? What is the origin of this expression?

Best Answer

A grammar Nazi is someone who corrects another's grammar in a way the accused feels is overly harsh. From the OED:

Nazi n. 2.b. hyperbolically. A person who is perceived to be authoritarian, autocratic, or inflexible; one who seeks to impose his or her views upon others. Usu. derogatory.

Their first citation is for Safety Nazis by P. J. O'Rourke in Inquiry from 1982:

The Safety Nazis advocate gun control, vigorous exercise, and health foods.

The earliest example of grammar Nazi I found was in Usenet group comp.sys.apple2 in January 1991, by "The Unknown User" correcting another's spelling:

Ok, I posted a message on this subject earlier with sort of a "rediculous"

ridiculous. I'm a card carrying member of the Spelling and Grammar Nazis of America.

As Barrie England commented:

Regardless of its orgin, it's an abominable term, which displays both historical insensitivity and linguistic illiteracy.

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