The word "gnar" appears to be the flavour of the month, doesn't it? I assume it's an abbreviation of "gnarly", as that would make some sense. That being the case, does anyone know the etymological history of gnarly? An odd word, I think you'll agree.

Something to do with riding on technical trails, predominately featuring tree roots?

Original from 70's surfspeak – to describe waves that are violently breaking without the form that would render them more rideable.

Can also describe less than ideal females.

"I'm bailing on this session-waves are too gnarly"

"I had to ditch her friend, she was lookin' gnarly"

I'm going to use the second version when next out on a friday night!

gnarled – the source of the whole group of words, including gnarl (v.), gnarl (n.), gnarly, is Shakespeare's use of gnarled in 1603:

"Thy sharpe and sulpherous bolt Splits the vn-wedgable and gnarled Oke." ["Measure for Measure," II.ii.116]

OED calls it a variant of knurled, from M.E. knar "knot in wood" (late 14c.), originally "a rock, a stone;" of uncertain origin. "(Gnarled) occurs in one passage of Shakes. (for which the sole authority is the folio of 1623), whence it came into general use in the nineteenth century" [OED].

Hmm, interesting. So, we have a knot of wood, which by dint of Bill Rattlejavelin's odd spelling habits becomes "gnarled".

Still not sure how it's come to mean that which it has!