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

[Ben Zimmer]

On Medium, Flourish Klink posted a nice explainer on "shipping"
incorporating some of the recent discussion here and on Twitter:

https://medium.com/fansplaining/to-ship-or-not-to-ship-c7a0572e3782

Merriam-Webster has also appended an addendum to their post acknowledging
the antedatings for the verb "ship":

http://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/ship-words-were-watching


On Tue, Aug 16, 2016 at 9:42 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole <
adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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
> >
> > -----
>
>

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