[Ads-l] ship, v. (2000-01)

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Below is an message dated September 28, 1999 from a Star Trek fan
fiction newsgroup that contains the phrase "my friend who ships this
couple" which I think is evidence of "ship" being used as a transitive
verb.

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated/Tp8EbQLWxGE/jjPS2hIZ330J

[Begin excerpt]
From: "Ivan Roman" <IAR... at hotmail.com>
Subject: Who Lives Happly Ever After 1/? P, K/T (Voy/DS9)
Date: 1999/09/27
Organization: Better Living Thru TrekSmut
X-Server-Date: 28 Sep 1999 00:41:10 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated

. . .
Authors note:First I got the idea for this story from "I don't have to wonder"
by Timothy Hood  Second let me thank Karah for her beta one
day I'll get my Grammar right. Third let me warn you K/T shippers my friend who
ships this couple Pissed me off so I stared writing this. Aside
from that I welcome any and all feedback and or helpful suggestions.
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Tue, Aug 16, 2016 at 4:47 PM, Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Tue, Aug 16, 2016 at 10:36 AM, Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> OED3 has a first cite of 2005 for the verb "ship" = 'To discuss, portray,
>> or advocate a romantic pairing of (two characters who appear in a work of
>> (serial) fiction), esp. when such a pairing is not depicted in the original
>> work.' A Merriam-Webster "Words We're Watching" post also dates it to 2005:
>>
>> http://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/ship-words-were-watching
>>
>
> [snip]
>
> This one is more clearly transitive:
>>
>> -----
>> Lia, Harry Potter fanfiction (Yahoo Group), Oct. 4, 2001
>> I ship Hermione with almost anyone.
>> https://beta.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ParadigmOfUncertainty/
>> conversations/messages/12241
>> -----
>>
>
> Slightly earlier:
>
> -----
> wingless pegasus, Fiction Alley SCUSA Archive (forum), Sept. 12, 2001
> I personally don't ship either couple, and if you asked me, I'd say
> Draco/Harry (yes I like slash).
> http://forums.fictionalley.org/park/showthread.php?s=1f85b2471a8788d6f58889d1ef3483cd&threadid=1785
>
> -----
>
> --bgz
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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