bodyjack

bodyjack

English

Etymology

Blend of body +‎ hijack

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈbɒ.di.dʒæk/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈbɑ.di.dʒæk/

Verb

bodyjack (third-person singular simple present bodyjacks, present participle bodyjacking, simple past and past participle bodyjacked)

1. (science fiction) To forcibly seize control of someone's body, sometimes by replacing or exchanging minds.
   • 1998 November 1, Claremont, Chris, “The First The Final? Fire!”, in Fantastic Four, volume 3, number 11, page 17:

     My accent may be Brooklyn, not the BBC, pal, but I still got a brain in my head. We've been bodyjacked. Some kind of mind-switch—yours to our bodies, ours ta yours. No offense but this ain't exactly the first time we've been cut loose in that particular neighborhood.

   • 2007 January 15, “The Devil Wears Swastikas”, in Newsweek, page 66:

     This sounds like a spinoff of "The Boys From Brazil"—until about page 70, when D.T. reveals that he's actually a devil who'd bodyjacked an SS officer.

   • 2007 April 22, Bennie, Scott, “Re: Daleks In Manhattan”, in rec.arts.drwho, Usenet‎, retrieved 2017-03-31, message-ID <[e-mail]>:

     I'm not a big fan, however, of the daleks stealing the Cyberman's bodyjacking schtick, and I thought the hybrid looked embarrassingly silly.

   • 2014, Coville, Bruce, Aliens Stole My Body, →ISBN, page 24:

     Then I did something that astonished both of us: I took control of our body. […] What are you doing? demanded Seymour. Where are you going? This is my body. Give it back! […] I've been bodyjacked! accused Seymour.

Related terms

• bodyswap
• possess