An Etymology of GORP

 

It is often said that this funny term for trail mix is an acronym for good old raisins and peanuts. It is less commonly argued that it instead means granola, oats, raisins, and peanuts. This latter meaning appears ironic as granola typically contains oats. Also, I have never seen anyone put granola in their trail mix. I'll have to try that on my next hike.

Neither alleged definition of GORP (capitalized when used as an acronym) captures the true origin of the word. Instead, these are backronyms-- meanings that have been added after the word became popular to explain its origin. Some modern sources claim a 1913 dictionary defined gorp as "to eat greedily," though tracking down the original citation has proven difficult. The Oxford English Dictionary article for gorp has no such reference and cites its first known use to 1970.

The word gorp is in fact much older than 1970, and so is the snack itself. A writer for the REI blog found examples of a similar snack going back to the 1830s.1 Some recipes for gorp from the late 1800s and early 1900s call for candy corn in place of chocolate. Gross!

Gorp has held different meanings in the past. An 1888 glossary of words used in England lists the word as a synonym for gape, yawn, or stare. The word is spelled "g-a-u-p" but the pronunciation is given as "gorp". This may be an example of an intrusive R sound common in some English dialects.2 Another English text from 1875 uses "gorp" as a synonym for gape, suggesting the word was already in regional use before the end of the nineteenth century, even if the spelling varied.3 Gorp was also a term for an unfledged baby bird in the late 19th and early 20th century. Anyone who has watched a nest of hungry chicks can immediately see the connection. Most of their waking hours seem to be spent sitting with their mouths wide open begging for food.4 

So how did the term come to refer to trail mix? The origin is foggy. The earliest mention of gorp referring to trail mix is from 1958 in an article detailing a hike in Olympic National Park. The author gives the recipe which includes raisins, nuts, and M&Ms—the classic mix. Clearly this trail snack has been popular for decades, while other trail foods have changed significantly. (See: History of Backpacking Food) This story gives us a clue that the term may have originated in the Pacific Northwest. Like many trail traditions, somebody was undoubtedly eating gorp long before anyone bothered to write the recipe down.

Perhaps the most extensive research on this topic was done for a 1995 Backpacker magazine article. The author, Hannah Holmes, interviewed several linguists and food historians for the piece. Her conclusion was that the term arose in the 1960s as part of the health food craze. One of the experts interviewed was a spokesperson for Websters New World Dictionary who declared, "We claim its impossible to know where it comes from.". However, Holmes notes that this dictionary reports that gorp as a verb means "to eat greedily." Few mysteries are more frustrating than a word whose experts openly admit they cannot explain it.6

We can imagine a rational progression. First, gape or gaup changes to gorp via regional accents. This wide mouth facial expression would look similar to someone eating greedily with their mouth opening widely. So, the term becomes synonymous with eating quickly. One frequently eats trailside snacks greedily. So, the verb finally becomes a noun to refer to the otherwise nameless trail snack that is often eaten greedily.

Another article written by an etymologist confirms the likelihood of this hypothesis. He references several other dictionaries from the first half of the 20th century that give the definition of gorp as "to eat greedily". He also makes a connection to the older term gaup and similar sounding words like gawk and gawp that all indicated a wide-mouthed expression of surprise. He notes that this hypothesis is plausible but unproven with the current evidence.7 Whatever the case, we will all shamelessly continue to gorp our GORP like a little gorp.

By David F. Garner

Other Articles To Explore:

A History of Trail Beverages

A History Of Camper’s Love-Hate Relationship With Electronics 

Twisted Hickory: A Story of The Walking Stick 

A History Of Backcountry Water Filters and Treatment

Outdoor Conservation Ethics Through Time

Life Advice From Gear Instruction Manuals

The Case For Owning A Two-Way Radio

The History of the Humble Disposable Plastic Bag

Sources

1. Ashley Brown, "The Origins of GORP," March 9, 2020, REI, https://www.rei.com/blog/hike/the-origins-of-gorp.
2. Sidney Oldall Addy, A glossary of words used in the neighbourhood of Sheffield. [With] A supplement, Volume 22, Issue 1, English Dialect Society, 1888, pg 86, accessed from https://books.google.com/books?id=IXoKAAAAIAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&dq=%22gorp%22&pg=PR7#v=onepage&q&f=false.
3.  E.H. Bickersteth, Evening hours, Volume 2, 1875, pg 562, accessed from https://books.google.com/books?id=eBoFAAAAQAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&dq=%22gorp%22&pg=PA562#v=onepage&q&f=false.
4. Sir Alfred Edward Pease, A Dictionary of the Dialect of the North Riding of Yorkshire, Horne & Son, Limited, 1928, pg 53, accessed from https://books.google.com/books?id=NPo3AQAAIAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&dq=dictionary%20gorp&pg=PA53#v=onepage&q&f=false.
5. Grant Conway, "Hiking the Wild Olympic Shoreline," National Parks and Conservation Magazine 1959-01: Volume 33, Issue 136, pg 8, accessed from https://archive.org/details/sim_national-parks_1959-01_33_136/.
6. Hannah Holmes, "The World According to GORP," Backpacker, Dec. 1995, pg 40, accessed from https://books.google.com/books?id=4d4DAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA40&dq=origin%20of%20term%20gorp&pg=PA40#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
7.  Michael Quinion, "Gorp," World Wide Words, April 9, 2005, https://www.worldwidewords.org/qa-gor1.htm.
   
   

1.