zapperhttp://www.oed.com/dictionary/zapper_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_usezapper, n.
First published 1986; not fully revised

zappernoun

  1. 1969–
    a. A person, technique, etc., that kills or does away with something. b. spec. Any of various devices for destroying or warding off pests; also (properly with capital initial), a proprietary name in the U.S. for an agricultural machine of this kind.
    1. 1969
      The United States colonel who formerly commanded them.. is now busy evolving a ‘zapper’ technique for scything down nippa palm groves where Vietcong are reported to be hiding with direct fire artillery.
      Guardian 27 May 8/5
    2. 1970
      The rat zapper does not work on Saturdays or Sundays, but there were still no rats to be seen there yesterday.
      Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 14 December 3/3
    3. 1973
      One particularly promising application, making use of small portable zappers, is for greenhouses and other horticultural enterprises where the cost of soil preparation per acre is not an important consideration. For row crops..the self-propelled Zapper is presently economic only when chemical weed-control costs are higher than $15 per acre.
      Scientific American September 74/2
    4. 1975
      Zapper. For agricultural machine which employs microwaves to control vegetation and vegetation damaging pests.
      Official Gazette (U.S. Patent Office) 25 March tm271/2
    5. 1976
      The general message is that although various alternatives are promising, there is no magic ‘insect zapper’, as Kennedy put it, to replace chemical poisons in the near future.
      Nature 12 February 441/1
    6. 1977
      How many bugs do zappers zap?
      Globe & Mail (Toronto) 30 July 4/1
    7. 1983
      1 acre bug zapper. $59·97. 35 watt ultraviolet fluorescent bulb has an effective range up to 1 acre for outdoor comfort.
      Monitor (McAllen, Texas) 23 June 10c(advertisement)

Additional sense (1993)

    1. 1984–
      The remote-control unit for a piece of electronic equipment, esp. a television or video recorder. Cf. zap v. II.8. slang (originally U.S.).
      1. 1984
        The machine can automatically activate a switching device that does anything from switch the channel to turn off the TV... It may be a year before his hybrid zapper is on the market.
        Adweek (U.S.) 30 January (Eastern edition) 50/2
      2. 1987
        Hit the zapper, Maude. Maybe there's some bowling on another channel.
        Los Angeles Times 5 February iii. 10/1
      3. 1990
        BSB comes onto the screen when you select it, using just the one remote zapper.
        What Satellite July 123/1

zapper, n. was first published in 1986; not fully revised.

zapper, n. was last modified in June 2024.