spacing n. 2

the act of executing a person by forcing them into space without a spacesuit; cf. space v. 2

  • 1972 D. Gerrold Yesterday's Children 122 David Gerrold

    β€˜Hey, does anybody know what the penalty for mutiny is?’ β€˜Last I heard, it was death by spacing.’

  • 1987 T. R. McDonough Architects of Hyperspace 62 Thomas R. McDonough bibliography

    But what do you know about spacing? Have you ever been trapped in a vacuum with only seconds of air left?

Research requirements

antedating 1972
Earliest cite

D. Gerrold 'Starhunt'
Research History
Katrina Campbell submitted a cite from a 1985 reprint of David Gerrold's "Starhunt"; Douglas Winston verified the cite in the 1972 first edition, which was published as "Yesterday's Children".

We would like cites of any date from other sources.

Last modified 2020-12-16 04:08:47
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.