shralp!

[James Harbeck]

In the current issue of _Ski Canada_, I read this in an article on
tree skiing: "Traditionally, the actual shralping of shrubs and alder
in order to create nicely spaced glades was often done by local
bushmen and patrollers during a ski area's off-season."

The actual... what? After a little web jaunt (including a stop by
shralpordie.com) I learned from the Urban Dictionary that "shralp"
means

To "rip," "shred," or "tear" something up. As in skateboarding or
doing very good at something.
He shralped up the bowl with his awesome moves.

Hm. ISTM the author of the article didn't use it in that sense, so
either there's a more physical sense -- like rip, shred, tear up,
what have you -- or the author didn't know how to use the word and
the editor didn't want to admit he didn't know either.

If you search on Google, you find the term associated with
snowboarding a fair bit, evidently in the sense that Urban Dictionary
has it, but with a clear implication that a literal sense would be
shredding, chewing up, or what have you.

OK, but am I the last one here to have seen this word? Or the first?
Or what up?

James Harbeck.

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org