Drobe

Drobe is an uncomplimentary term for a certain type of attendee at science-fiction conventions, particularly one in costume, who drifts around the venue without interacting with the fans or otherwise participating in the convention.

Observing some of these, clad in ugly, full-body costumes that included full face masks, Ann Arbor, MI fan Larry Tucker once theorized that "They are very lonely people . . . who want to stay very lonely people." A scientificombination of drone and wardrobe, Chicago's Dick Smith thinks he coined it in the early 1980s.

Drobe is not to be confused with droog.

Contributor: Stet 9 lexicon by Leah Zeldes Smith.