A fortuitous typo for
co-worker[?], widely used in
Usenet, with perhaps a hint that orking cows is illegal. This term was popularized by
Scott Adams (the creator of
Dilbert) but already appears in the January 1996 version of the
scary devil monastery[?] FAQ. There are plausible reports that it was in use on
Usenet as early as
1989.
[1] (
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=+%22cow+orker%22&selm=1042%40midgard.Midgard.MN.ORG) Compare
hing[?],
grilf[?],
filk,
newsfroup[?].
This article (or an earlier version of it) is from the Jargon file. Used by permission.