ob- prefix
denoting 'obligatory or expected reference to' a topic
Fancyclopedia
SF Fandom
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[1951
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Eric Frank Russell
bibliography
Now…you've done something for me. That means you've planted an ob on me. I don’t thank you for what you've done. There’s no need to. All I have to do is get rid of the ob.]
…And Then There Were None in Astounding Science-Fiction June 29/2 -
1993
Ob-, obligatory. A piece of netiquette acknowledging that the author has been straying from the newsgroup’s charter topic. For example, if a posting in alt.sex is a response to a part of someone else’s posting that has nothing particularly to do with sex, the author may append ‘ObSex’ (or ‘Obsex’) and toss off a question or vignette about some unusual erotic act.
New Hacker's Dictionary (ed. 2) 306 -
2001
In Usenet, for example, there is the convention ob-[= obligatory] placed in front of a word to show that an attempt is being made to bring a topic back to the point, after it has gone off in various directions (e.g. obpassports was used after a discussion about passports had got sidetracked into one on holidays).
Language & Internet v. 146
Research requirements
antedating 1991
Research History
Tom Whitmore submitted a 1951 cite from Eric Frank Russell's ". . . And Then There Were None", which is probably the first usage.Garrett Wollman submitted a 1991 cite from Steele's and Raymond's "New Hacker's Dictionary".
Bill Mullins submitted a 1954 cite from the fanzine Confusion #16.
We would like any further cites of this usage (as "obligation"), but are primarily interested in cites of its use as a prefix, meaning "obligatory".
Last modified 2020-12-20 18:37:51
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