The act of seizing control of a vehicle, aircraft, or computer system illegally, often by force or threat.
From 'hijack,' which emerged in American slang around 1923, possibly from 'High Jack,' a command used by thieves during Prohibition to stop vehicles and rob them. The 'jack' may relate to 'jacking' up a vehicle.
The word 'hijack' exploded into common usage during Prohibition in the 1920s when criminals would commandeer alcohol shipments with the shout 'High Jack!'—it's American crime slang that became a serious legal term. Today it's used for everything from planes to social media accounts, showing how one crime-era phrase evolved to describe modern problems.
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