Chronicle comic

Speaking of which, what is the origin of the term "smart aleck"? Should it be "Alec"? like it's someone's name? I'm not going to look it up, but if you want to discuss it in the comments, I can't do anything to stop you. I forgot how to get in as an administrator, and at some point, I assume spambots will overrun the place, and I'll have to shut all the comments down. I really should have just used Disqus or something.