[Ads-l] voluntold

Ben Zimmer bgzimmer at GMAIL.COM
Tue Aug 1 16:09:42 UTC 2023


I see Wilson Gray brought up "voluntold" in Aug. 2011:
https://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2011-August/111959.html

Wordspy has examples going back to 1992 (on Usenet):
https://wordspy.com/words/voluntold/


On Tue, Aug 1, 2023 at 11:54 AM Bill Mullins <amcombill at hotmail.com> wrote:

> I don't see this term in either the ADS-L archives or in the OED.  Some
> other dictionaries have it, though.
>
> verb
>
> 1996 [Sault St. Marie ONT] Sault Star 22 Jul B1/4
>
> But district president Jim said there is a grain of truth to their jokes
> because, "you don't volunteer to do something, you get voluntold to do it."
>
> https://www.newspapers.com/image/735216970/?terms=voluntold&match=1
>
>
>
> 2001 [San Angelo TX] San Angelo Standard-Times 14 Aug 4D/3
>
> I made an executive decision to not run and called my Dad on Friday and
> "voluntold" him to come down and run for me.
>
> https://www.newspapers.com/image/790967006/?terms=voluntold&match=1
>
>
>
> 2005 South Bend Tribune 24 June E2/2
>
> "I was volun-told," Village Manager Gibson said.
>
> https://www.newspapers.com/image/512341344/?terms=voluntold&match=1
>
>
>
> noun
>
> 2004 [Waterloo IA] Hometowner 7 Jan 2/6
>
> We call them voluntolds, because they're being told to do it.
>
> https://www.newspapers.com/image/356124260/?terms=voluntold
>
>
>
> 2004 [Grand Prairie ALB] Daily Herald-Tribune 16 Apr 67/5
>
> Mandatory volunteer programs through Workfare, Community Service Order and
> school mandated community work have created a new class of volunteers
> sometimes called "voluntolds."
>
> https://www.newspapers.com/image/731607068/?terms=voluntold&match=1
>
>
>
>
> 2007 Central Alberta Life 28 May A4/4
>
> "We have a lot of 'voluntolds' in our organization," she chuckles.
>
> https://www.newspapers.com/image/559190848/?terms=voluntold&match=1
>
>
>

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