Antedating of "Hijack" / "Hijacking"

[Jonathan Lighter]

See HDAS.

To "hi(gh)jack" originally meant to rob, hence to take, at gunpoint.


JL

On Tue, Feb 12, 2013 at 10:49 AM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: Antedating of "Hijack" / "Hijacking"
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Do I see variations in meaning in these early instances, that perhaps
> should be separated?  The OED has one definition, essentially "taking
> something that is moving", and a catchall "transf."
>
> I see the following 4 variations:
>
> 1)  Taking something valuable illicitly.  (This example does not
> involve goods on the move.)
>
>  From Fred:
> >1918 _Miami District Daily News_ (Miami, Oklahoma) 19 May 4
> >(America's Historical Newspapers)  Mulcting four soldiers of $35 by
> >the Joplin authorities might be termed legalized "Hijacking."
>
> 2)  The main sense.
>
> At 2/11/2013 08:44 PM, Nathaniel Sharpe wrote:
> >...
> >Date: Wednesday, August 9, 1916  Paper: Tulsa World (Tulsa, OK)  Volume:
> >XI  Issue: 280  Page: 1, Tells of Shooting Osage "High Jack"
> >(GenealogyBank.com)
> >According to a story told by R. W. Smith, an oil man of this city, there
> >will be one less "high-jack" to contend with in the Osage hills for a
> >time at least, as a result of his marksmanship, displayed in a pitched
> >battle on the old ridge road late Sunday afternoon.
> >Smith says he was showing some of his friends a lease near Keystone and
> >was returning to Tula when he was confronted by a lone highwayman who
> >commanded Smith and his party to "stick-em up."
>
> 3)  [I'm having difficulty coming up with a definition for the next;
> it's not goods on the move nor physically forceful.]
>
>
> >Date: Saturday, April 1, 1916  Paper: Tulsa World (Tulsa, OK)  Volume:
> >XI  Issue: 169  Page: Four, The Man About Town (GenealogyBank.com)
> >Knowing their immense wealth, pickpockets would immediately high-jack
> >the whole crowd.
>
> 4)  Forceful takeover.
>
> An OED quotation:
> >1970   Daily Tel. Mag. 16 Jan. 17/2   When a virus enters a cell it
> >hijacks it, and makes it do what it wants.
>
> Joel
>
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