What is the difference between hijack and shanghai?

hijack | shanghai |


As verbs the difference between hijack and shanghai

is that hijack is to forcibly stop and seize control of some vehicle in order to rob it or to reach a destination (especially an airplane, truck or a boat) while shanghai is to force or trick (someone) into joining a ship which is lacking a full crew.

As nouns the difference between hijack and shanghai

is that hijack is an instance of hijacking; the illegal seizure of a vehicle while shanghai is a slingshot.

As a proper noun Shanghai is

a major port city in eastern China.

hijack

English

(wikipedia hijack)

Alternative forms

* hi-jack, highjack

Verb

(en verb)
  • To forcibly stop and seize control of some vehicle in order to rob it or to reach a destination (especially an airplane, truck or a boat).
  • To seize control of some process or resource to achieve a purpose other than its originally intended one.
  • (computing) To seize control of a networked computer by means of infecting it with a worm or other malware, thereby turning it into a zombie.
  • (computing) To change software settings without a user's knowledge so as to force that user to visit a certain web site (to hijack a browser ).
  • (politics) To introduce an amendment deleting the contents of a bill and inserting entirely new provisions.
  • Derived terms

    * hijackable * carjack * seajack

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An instance of hijacking; the illegal seizure of a vehicle.
  • An instance of a seizure and redirection of a process.
  • (politics) An amendment which deletes the contents of a bill and inserts entirely new provisions.
  • (poker slang) Preflop, the position two before the dealer.
  • shanghai

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) , with reference to the former practice of forcibly crewing ships heading for the Orient.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To force or trick (someone) into joining a ship which is lacking a full crew.
  • * 1999 June 24, ‘The Resurrection of Tom Waits’, in Rolling Stone'', quoted in ''Innocent When You Dream , Orion (2006), page 256,
  • It was the strangest galley: the sounds, the steam, he's screaming at his coworkers. I felt like I'd been shanghaied .
  • To abduct or coerce.
  • * 1974 September 30, ‘ Final Report on the Activities of the Children of God',
  • Oftentimes the approach is to shanghai an unsuspecting victim.
  • To commandeer; appropriate; hijack
  • Let's see if we can shanghai a room for a couple of hours.
    Synonyms
    * press-gang

    Etymology 2

    From Scottish (m), from (etyl) (m), influenced by the Chinese city.Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, by Eric Partridge, 2006, p. 613

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A slingshot.
  • *1985 , (Peter Carey), Illywhacker , Faber and Faber 2003, p. 206:
  • *:They scrounged around the camp […] and held out their filthy wings to the feeble sun, making themselves an easy target for Charles's shanghai .
  • References