Can I use the noun hacker as an adjective?
For example, can I write or say:
It was a hacker trick.
so that it means this:
It was a trick of a hacker.
And can I use
It's hacker code.
so that it means this:
The code has been created by a hacker.
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1Any noun may be used attributively (as an adjective). A shop window; a bathroom door; a cheese sandwich... – St John of the Cross Mar 26 '13 at 13:20
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@StJohnoftheCross What about the examples? Does it set the teeth on edge? – sergzach Mar 26 '13 at 13:23
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@StJohnoftheCross I mean does it stay possessive for a 'hacker'? A hacker's word - a word of a hacker? – sergzach Mar 26 '13 at 13:25
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I think it very much depends on where you intend to use it. – St John of the Cross Mar 26 '13 at 13:27
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1"It was a hacker trick" and "It's hacker code" both sound fine to me. – Hugo Mar 26 '13 at 13:30
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You might find a difference in meaning between "a hacker's word" and "a hacker word" ... but both sound fine to me also. – GEdgar Mar 26 '13 at 13:31
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Do you mean hacker as in criminal, or do you mean hacker as in expert coder engaged in recreational programming? Also, just because you have two nouns in a row does not mean that the first one has become an adjective. For example, windshield wipe does not have windshield as an adjective, because you cannot say windshielder for "more windshield" or windshieldest for "most wildshield". – tchrist Mar 26 '13 at 13:58
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1@tchrist I mean hacker as an expert of code. – sergzach Mar 26 '13 at 14:24
3 Answers
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Both "hacker trick" and "hacker code" are acceptable. Technically, the word doesn't become an adjective. English nouns can act as modifiers (called attributive nouns or noun adjuncts). For more information, check out this tutorial.
parap
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I would prefer using "hack" instead of "trick of a hacker" or a "hacker trick" as the word hack in itself would mean that it is a patch or a clever workaround(in other words a trick).
It was a hack.
And to indicate that its a "hacker's code", use
Its hacky code.
instead.
From Wikitionary
Hacky : Using, or characterised by, hacks
Sayan
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And what if I would like to distinguish humanity? E.g. is 'a hacker school' more preferable than 'a hacky school' (as a school of hackers)? – sergzach Mar 26 '13 at 14:13
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Is it acceptable enough to say 'a hacker school' and 'a hack school'? Is the 'hack school' definitely better or they are equivalent? – sergzach Mar 26 '13 at 14:22
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I wouldn't go that far to suggest that "hack school" is definitely better than "a hacker school" but certainly they are more or less equivalent and their usage would be dictated by the context they are placed in. – Sayan Mar 28 '13 at 05:36
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'A hack school' means the school where people study to hack and 'A hacker school' means the school with hackers (probably people study to hack too). Am I right? – sergzach Mar 28 '13 at 09:08
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As in a "school of fish"? Now that seems a bit awkward. Don't give such collective names on your own. – Sayan Mar 29 '13 at 05:00
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1-1. There is a vast difference between a hack (something not quite ideal being used as a workaround for something) and a hacker(’s) trick (a common exploit that hackers take advantage of to gain access to a mainframe, for example). ‘Hacky’ also does not work, since it refers to something that uses hacks, rather than something that is characterised by hackers. Code-hacking is not simply using hacks, it is an entirely different kettle of fish. If there were such a thing as a school where hackers were taught, I’d call it a hacking school or a hacker school—never a hack school. – Janus Bahs Jacquet Aug 11 '13 at 07:49
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I work in cyber and have never heard of hacky. It sounds unprofessional and on the level of "script kiddies".
I like hacker trick or hacker code.
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This shouldn't be posted as an answer. It's a response to the answer by @KeyBrd Basher. Add it as a comment to that answer. – Henry74 Jul 19 '14 at 08:10