Tweakers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who modify or refine things, often obsessively or excessively
2. people who are under the influence of stimulants leading to heightened activity and energy
3. those who are engaged in a specific subculture that focuses on meticulous adjustments and enhancements

Etymology: "Tweakers" is the plural of "tweaker," a slang term for a person addicted to stimulant drugs, especially methamphetamine. The word is built from "tweak," an older English verb meaning to pull, twist or adjust something sharply, with the agent suffix "-er" added to name the one doing the action. The drug sense grows out of "tweak" as slang for methamphetamine itself. The link is behavioural rather than chemical: long-term users often fall into "punding," a compulsive, repetitive activity such as fiddling with objects, taking apart electronics or picking at the skin. That fidgety, fixated motion is what the verb's sense of twisting and adjusting came to describe, so the drug's name and the user's name both trace back to the same restless hand movements.

Synonyms: adjusters, modifiers