origin (?) of "hijack"

[Wilson Gray]

Well, "High, Jack!" does seem unlikely, but something like, "Lift 'em
high, Jack," seems plausible to me. In an animated cartoon that I once
saw, the robber commanded his victim to reach for the ceiling. The
victim obligingly did so, reaching up until his palms were flat
against the ceiling.

However, this is not to say that I ever believed the analysis that I
read somewhere fiddy years ago, when I was younger and dumber, about
high-jackers saying "Lift 'em high, Jack," to their victims.

-Wilson

On 12/6/06, Cohen, Gerald Leonard <gcohen at umr.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Cohen, Gerald Leonard" <gcohen at UMR.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: origin (?) of "hijack"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Here are two references for the origin of "hijack":
> 1) Gerald Cohen: 'The Missouri and Hobo Origin of "Hijack." in: _Studies =
> in Slang_, vol. 2, (edited by Gerald Leonard Cohen),  Frankfurt a.M.: =
> Peter Lang, 1989, pp.85-90.
> 2) Gerald Cohen: '"Hijack"--An Alleged 1866 Attestation Turns Out To Be =
> Non-Existent,' in: _Studies in Slang_, vol. 5,
> (edited by Gerald Leonard Cohen), Frankfurt a.M.: Peter Lang, 1997,  =
> pp.160-161.
> =20
>     '"Hijack" evidently began as a term referring to the pilfering of =
> high-grade zinc (zinc was colloquially referred to as 'jack').  The mine =
> operators referred to these pilferers as 'high jackers.' The term spread =
> to the hobo jungles, where a=20
> 'hi-jack' was someone who robbed a fellow hobo when he was asleep (a =
> major offense).  The term then turned up in the oil fields =
> ('"High-Jack"--a bandit or stick-up man (they are plentiful in the oil =
> fields)'.  Then, with Prohibition the term hit the big-time, with its =
> well recognized meaning: 'to rob a bootlegger (or smuggler) of his =
> illicit goods.' Then, of course, 'to seize (an aeroplane) in flight and =
> force the pilot to fly into a new destination.'
> =20
>     The derivation of 'hijack' from a robber's command 'High, Jack' (did =
> anyone actually ever say this?) is almost certainly a folk etymology.
> =20
> G. Cohen
> =20
> ________________________________
>
> From: American Dialect Society on behalf of Wilson Gray
> Sent: Wed 12/6/2006 3:37 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: origin (?) of "hijack"
>
> About fifty years ago, I read somewhere that the origin is the
> high-jacker's stereotypical command to "raise / lift / put / etc. 'em
> up high, Jack."
>
> -Wilson
>
> On 12/6/06, Stephen Goranson <goranson at duke.edu> wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header =
> -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Stephen Goranson <goranson at DUKE.EDU>
> > Subject:      origin (?) of "hijack"
> > =
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> ------
> >
> > OED hijack, v. (1923f) "orig. U.S. slang (now passing into general
> > use"; "Origin
> > unknown." The OED definition concentrates on taking of goods and =
> vehicles,
> > though its quotations (e.g., 1936 E. AMBLER Dark Frontier xi. 178, I =
> still
> > don't see how we're going to high-jack Groom's men.) point to the =
> taking of
> > people as well. Note the spelling "high-jack"; it is perhaps easier =
> for
> > highjack to give rise to hijack than the reverse.
> >
> > HDAS has many quotes (1912f), though it's debatable which is the =
> earliest
> > relevant one; "orig. uncert.; perh. fr. Hi, Jack! as addressed to an
> > unsuspecting victim, as in 1925 quote; perh. high (with uncertain =
> meaning) +
> > jack "to hunt'...cf 1912 quote.
> >
> > Here's the potential source: a story "He Also Serves" by O. Henry =
> (W.S. Porter
> > 1862-1910) published in the collection Options (1909), and perhaps
> > earlier. The
> > story is available online at several sites. The narrator relates a
> > story told to
> > him in New York about an adventure with High Jack Snakefeeder. The =
> latter was
> > smitten with one Florence Blue Feather, who "suddenly disappeared from
> > her home
> > and envirionments"; "vanished." Then follows much drinking and a visit
> > to ruins
> > in Mexico where they see the possible reincarnation of this lady. =
> Though the
> > mechanism of this person-abducting or shanghaing isn't clear, here's =
> the O.
> > Henry-type ending:
> >
> > "Say," said Hunky, with a grin, "that little lady that stole High Jack
> > certainly did give me a jar when I first took a look at her, but it
> > was only for a minute. You remember I told you High Jack said that
> > Miss Florence Blue Feather disappeared from home about a year ago?
> > Well, where she landed four days later was in as neat a five-room flat
> > on East Twenty-third Street as you ever walked sideways through--and
> > she's been Mrs. Magee ever since."
> >
> > Mr. Magee was the New York storyteller.
> >
> > Perhaps the robbing of High Jack's lady in this 1909 story gave rise =
> to
> > "high-jack" and "hijack" in years soon after.
> >
> > Stephen Goranson
> > http://www.duke.edu/~goranson
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org =
> <http://www.americandialect.org/>=20
> >
>
>
> --
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> come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
> -----
> -Sam Clemens
>
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--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
-Sam Clemens

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