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Word of the day September 8
The Word of the Day for September 8 is:
shanghai • \SHANG-hye\ • (verb) to force aboard a ship for service as a sailor; also to trick or force into an undesirable position
A little more information about today’s word:
In the 1800s, long sea voyages were very difficult and dangerous, so people were understandably hesitant to become sailors. But sea captains and shipping companies needed crews to sail their ships, so they gathered sailors any way they could—even if that meant resorting to kidnapping by physical force or with the help of liquor or drugs. The word "shanghai" comes from the name of the Chinese city of Shanghai. People started to use the city's name for that unscrupulous way of obtaining sailors because the East was often a destination of ships that had kidnapped men onboard as crew.
My sentence:
"I'm being shanghaied!" cried Uncle Jim at the family picnic when Aunt Marie pulled him away from the volleyball game to start the barbecue.
Based on Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 10th Edition.
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