I've always connected it with "grip" (and the Norwegian translation: "gripe"). /usr/bin/grep runs through STDIN and "grips" the matching lines, while everything

I've always connected it with "grip" (and the Norwegian translation: "gripe"). /usr/bin/grep runs through STDIN and "grips" the matching lines, while everything else flows through and disappear. That totally made sense in my head… EDIT: In December 2003, the Oxford English Dictionary Online added draft entries for "grep" as both a noun and a verb. — http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grep#Usage_as_a_conversational_verb http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grep#Usage_as_a_conversational_...