[Ads-l] "to ping"

[Geoffrey Nathan]

I'm fairly 'ping' has been discussed on this forum in years past. It is widely used (at least in the IT community) to mean 'contact in order to get an opinion about something or let someone know about something coming up'. 

I assume the etymology is from the old UNIX command, which puts it back in the pleistocene era (in computer years).

Geoff


     
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From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2017 10:07 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: "to ping"
    
---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: "to ping"
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Regardless, he seemed to mean "to contact, as by telephone or electronic
device."

JL

On Thu, Mar 30, 2017 at 9:31 AM, Joel Berson <berson at att.net> wrote:

> Speak roughly to your little boy,And beat him when he tweetzes:
> He only does it to annoy,
> Because he knows it teases.
>
> Joel
>
>
>       From: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>  To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>  Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2017 7:43 AM
>  Subject: Re: [ADS-L] "to ping" (and OED Online)
>
> A former Trump advisor says the president likes to "ping people" to get
> their viewpoints.
>
> JL
>
> On Thu, Oct 20, 2016 at 7:35 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > MSNBC re Hillary & D----d:
> >
> > "She dinged him and pinged him...."
> >
> > 'To goad or provoke; needle.'
> >
> > JL
> >
> >
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org


American Dialect Society
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>
>


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


American Dialect Society
www.americandialect.org
The American Dialect Society, founded in 1889, is dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other languages, or dialects of other ...
    
------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org