Have you ever been Shanghaied?

A few days ago, I posted a blog on using ‘Bangalore’ as a verb. Today, let us discuss the name of another place which is also used as a verb. The place is Shanghai.

Shanghai is the most populated city in eastern China. In the mid of the 19^th century, it was difficult to get enough number of experienced sailors for the merchant ships headed to the Orient from the West (the Orient refers to the East Asian countries while the West is a common term for Europe and North America). When the sailors were not willing to join the ship, they were compelled by fraud means which included tricking, intimidating, kidnapping and even drugging them.

Shanghai was the most common destination for the ships with such abducted crews. So, when a sailor was forced for compulsory service aboard a merchant ship, his bad luck was described as ‘he was Shanghaied’.

In modern English, shanghai means ‘to trick or force somebody into doing something that they really do not want to do’. The past and past participle forms are shanghaied; the present participle form is shanghaiing.

More examples:

Simon shanghaied the girl into his Ferrari and drove away.

Mary’s parents are shanghaiing her into marrying Simpson.