freep, freeping

[Jeff Prucher]

--- Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: freep, freeping
>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At 7:51 PM -0400 10/16/04, Sam Clements wrote:
> >"Freep" goes back to at least the 1970's to mean "Free Press."  Small,
> >alternative newspapers, to me.
>
> "The Freep" was in standard use in the mid-60's for the L.A. Free
> Press, which was one of the earlier such alternative papers (along
> with its northern sibling, the Berkeley Barb).
>
> Larry

FWIW, "The Freep" is also the Detroit Free Press, which is not an alternative
paper, and is no doubt a tool of the man.

Jeff Prucher

> >
> >These days it means people who subscribe to the views of the Free Republic.
> >At least, that's my take on it.
> >
> >Sam Clements
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Clai Rice" <cxr1086 at LOUISIANA.EDU>
> >To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >Sent: Saturday, October 16, 2004 5:18 PM
> >Subject: freep, freeping
> >
> >
> >>  Just ran across this word and don't see it in the ADS
> >>  archives: to freep, freeped, freeping. Also freepers.
> >>
> >>  Looks like it means "to influence online polls by voting
> >>  many times" or an organized attempt to do such. An article
> >>  from the June 4, 2004 Grand Forks Herald, "Online activists
> >>  defend freeping's ethics", says that the practice is named
> >>  after the FreeRepublic.com whose members have been
> >>  practicing this for some time.
> >>  http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/8834070.htm
> >>
> >>  I hope it is either bad polling (or freeping if this is
> >>  based off their internet poll) but it has me a bit concerned.
> >>  http://www.mydd.com/story/2004/10/16/91159/845
> >>
> >>  --Clai Rice
> >>
>


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