Comments on: Monthly Gleanings: (July 2007) http://blog.oup.com/2007/07/monthly_gleanings/ Introducing brilliant authors to the blogosphere. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:43:07 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Stephen Goranson http://blog.oup.com/2007/07/monthly_gleanings/comment-page-1/#comment-42654 Stephen Goranson Mon, 10 Sep 2007 11:44:38 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/2007/07/monthly_gleanings/#comment-42654 Yes, early spellings have high-jack rather than hijack. Though we now think of hijacking as taking an airplane or boat or vehicle, early uses applied to taking cargo and to abducting people. I suggest that the word came from an O. Henry story ("He Also Serves") published in 1909. So far the word isn't known before 1909; a confirmed citation would falsify this proposal. The story is available online at several sites. The narrator relates a story told to him in New York about an adventure with High Jack Snakefeeder. The latter was smitten with one Florence Blue Feather, who "suddenly disappeared from her home and envirionments"; "vanished." Then follows much drinking and a visit to ruins in Mexico where they see the possible reincarnation of this lady. Though the mechanism of this person-abducting or shanghaiing isn't clear, here's the O. Henry-type ending: "Say," said Hunky, with a grin, "that little lady that stole High Jack certainly did give me a jar when I first took a look at her, but it was only for a minute. You remember I told you High Jack said that Miss Florence Blue Feather disappeared from home about a year ago? Well, where she landed four days later was in as neat a five-room flat on East Twenty-third Street as you ever walked sideways through--and she's been Mrs. Magee ever since." Mr. Magee was the New York storyteller. Perhaps the robbing of High Jack's lady in this story gave rise to "high-jack" and "hijack" in years soon after. Yes, early spellings have high-jack rather than hijack. Though we now think of hijacking as taking an airplane or boat or vehicle, early uses applied to taking cargo and to abducting people. I suggest that the word came from an O. Henry story (”He Also Serves”) published in 1909. So far the word isn’t known before 1909; a confirmed citation would falsify this proposal.
The story is available online at several sites. The narrator relates a story told to
him in New York about an adventure with High Jack Snakefeeder. The latter was smitten with one Florence Blue Feather, who “suddenly disappeared from her home and envirionments”; “vanished.” Then follows much drinking and a visit to ruins in Mexico where they see the possible reincarnation of this lady. Though the
mechanism of this person-abducting or shanghaiing isn’t clear, here’s the O.
Henry-type ending:

“Say,” said Hunky, with a grin, “that little lady that stole High Jack
certainly did give me a jar when I first took a look at her, but it
was only for a minute. You remember I told you High Jack said that
Miss Florence Blue Feather disappeared from home about a year ago?
Well, where she landed four days later was in as neat a five-room flat
on East Twenty-third Street as you ever walked sideways through–and
she’s been Mrs. Magee ever since.”

Mr. Magee was the New York storyteller.

Perhaps the robbing of High Jack’s lady in this story gave rise to “high-jack” and “hijack” in years soon after.

]]> By: Sheilhaoigh http://blog.oup.com/2007/07/monthly_gleanings/comment-page-1/#comment-23801 Sheilhaoigh Fri, 03 Aug 2007 13:51:29 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/2007/07/monthly_gleanings/#comment-23801 "(Does everybody realize that wont is a homonym of won’t in British English, while speakers of American English are dived between the pronunciations want and won’t, with the first group predominating?)" I just thought I'd note that I (as a native British speaker) rhyme "wont" with "want" (roughly /wɒnʔ/ (if that doesn't render, that's SAMPA /wQn?/)) and I can recall having conversations about confusing the two as a child, so I'm fairly sure it's not a purely idiolectal thing. Whether it's an Americanism or not is another matter and I can't guess. Many thanks for maintaining such an interesting column, S “(Does everybody realize that wont is a homonym of won’t in British English, while speakers of American English are dived between the pronunciations want and won’t, with the first group predominating?)”

I just thought I’d note that I (as a native British speaker) rhyme “wont” with “want” (roughly /wɒnʔ/ (if that doesn’t render, that’s SAMPA /wQn?/)) and I can recall having conversations about confusing the two as a child, so I’m fairly sure it’s not a purely idiolectal thing. Whether it’s an Americanism or not is another matter and I can’t guess.

Many thanks for maintaining such an interesting column,
S

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