Is the colloquial euphemism "to be volunteered" recent?
When someone is forced to volunteer for something, he or she can be said to be volunteered. For example, if a manager asks an employee, could you volunteer to perform task X, then the employee may not practically be in a situation to say no; volunteer is used euphemistically.
I first heard this usage in 2014, but I first lived in a native English speaking country in 2014, so my experience does not say too much. Is this euphemistic usage of to be volunteered recent?
(See also: urbandictionary entry for volunteered)
Solution 1:
The answer obviously depends on your definition of "recent." It would be interesting to find the earliest usage of this term, but I did find one from 1999 1976, which significantly antedates your 2014 experience.
From Stage Lighting International:
We will draw a blank over the time when I was volunteered as stage manager...
I am confident that there are examples that come significantly before this, though I can't find them yet. One indication of this is that there are several early examples of a reflexive usage of "volunteer", such as this work from 1816:
Skelton, though his opinions inclined that way, having no offer of the same sort from the Bishop, thought it best not to volunteer himself in the cause.
Solution 2:
The tvtropes.org has the following entry:
Got Volunteered
"Sergeant Tyree, I'm ordering you to volunteer again" — Cpt. Brittles, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
- A dirty, dangerous, and/or difficult job needs to get done, and nobody wants to do it. The boss is asking volunteers to step forward. No way are you going to get mixed up in a sticky situation like that. Your mama didn't raise no fool. Suddenly you are shoved forward by some of your "friends". The boss smiles. Wait — No! You just got volunteered!
I think it's a usage that originated in the army where voluntold that is voluntarily told is part of the jargon:
"Voluntarily Told," "Voluntold"
There are two different kinds of voluntold:
A. The gunny walks into the office and says, "Man, wouldn't the floor look nice if somebody buffed it?" Which means,"Buff the floor."
B. "I need two volunteers to stand out in front of Best Buy this Saturday collecting Toys for Tots."
"Jones, Smith, you're collecting Toys for Tots this weekend."
(www.businessinsider.com)
Voluntold:
- (U.S., Canada) A supposedly optional event, award, assignment, or activity in which a person (or persons) are required to attend either by persons-in-charge nominating them or their peers expecting them to be there. The individual often has no say in the matter, and non-attendance is frowned upon.
(Wiktionary)