Rotherham, a co-founder and partner at the nonprofit Bellwether Education, writes the blog Eduwonk. The views expressed are solely his own.
Deming, a process wonk, made no bones about telling his faithful (in his low, droning, authoritative voice) that they had to follow his methods to the letter or they'd surely screw it up. Miss a step, and you're no longer doing TQM-and by the way, why isn't your boss here because he needs to believe, too?
You don’t have to be a policy wonk to marvel at the political skill L.B.J. wielded to resuscitate a bill that seemed doomed to never get a vote on the floor of either chamber.
Definition of wonk
Origin:1920s: of unknown origin
- A student who studies excessively; a grind.
- One who studies an issue or a topic thoroughly or excessively: "leading a talkathon of policy wonks in a methodical effort to build consensus for his programs" (Michael Kranish).
made no bones about
Act or speak frankly about something, without hesitation or evasion. For example, Tom made no bones about wanting to be promoted, or Make no bones about it--she's very talented. Versions of this expression date back to the mid-1400s and the precise allusion is no longer known. Some believe it meant a boneless stew or soup that one could eat without hesitation; others relate it to dice, originally made from bones, that were thrown without hesitation or fuss.
- 1any of the pieces of hard, whitish tissue making up the skeleton in humans and other vertebrates:his injuries included many broken bones a shoulder boneThe substance of bones is formed by specialized cells (osteoblasts) that secrete around themselves a material containing calcium salts (which provide hardness and strength in compression) and collagen fibers (which provide tensile strength). Many bones have a central cavity containing marrow