MUDder, MUDding (Jan. '90)

[Benjamin Zimmer]

First OED3 cites for "MUDder" and "MUDding" (referring to "multi-user
dungeons") are from 1993.  (The draft entries were prepared in Mar. 2003,
which I assume was just before Usenet posts began to be cited.)

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1990 _Mud down..._ in _alt.mud_ (Usenet newsgroup) 9 Jan., As the most
ardent MUDders have noticed, the MUD at silmu.jyu.fi (128.214.7.13) has
been down for some time.
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1990 _Re: Need help in joining and starting tinyMUD_ in _alt.mud_ (Usenet
newsgroup) 24 Jan., Happy MUDding!
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There's also this slightly earlier variant:

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[1989 _First Posting!!!_ in _alt.mud_ (Usenet newsgroup) 22 Dec., Just
wanted to wish all mud'ers in hell & puddle a merry christmas/ happy
chanukah and a great new year.]
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That post, the first on alt.mud, only exists in the Google Groups archive
in quoted form (in Message-ID: <22705 at ut-emx.UUCP>).  The post led to
various jokes from those who thought that "mud(d)ers" referred to alums of
Harvey Mudd College.


--Ben Zimmer