Full record for dirtball n.
| Definition | a planet |
| OED requirements | antedating 1978 |
| Earliest cite | Richard A. Lupoff, "Space War Blues" |
| Comment | Douglas Winston submitted a 1978 cite from Richard A. Lupoff's "Space War Blues" Douglas Winston submitted a cite from a 2001 reprint of Lois McMaster Bujold's 1986 "Ethan of Athos" Douglas Winston submitted a 1989 cite from Steve Perry's "The 97th Step" Douglas Winston submitted a 1990 cite from Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Moon's "Sassinak" Douglas Winston submitted a 1991 cite from Chris Claremont's "Grounded!" Douglas Winston submitted a 1993 cite from John DeChancie and David Bischoff's "Dr.Dimension" Douglas Winston submitted a 2002 cite for "dirt ball" from David Weber and Steve White's "The Shiva Option" Douglas Winston submitted a 1991 cite from Christopher Rowley's "To a Highland Nation", in which "dirtball" was used as a derogatory term for a planet-dweller: we would be interested to see further uses in this sense of any date. |
| Last modified | 20 August, 2009 |
Citations for dirtball n.
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| 1978 R.A. Lupoff Space War Blues 286 | In the sky of the Independent Planet of N'Alabama the R troop landing ship Lumumba took position in a N'Haitian picket line. In stationary orbit Lumumba effectively hovered, day and night, the glare of NGC 7007 alternately appearing and disappearing from behind the red dirtball constantly below. |
| 1989 S. Perry The 97th Step 74 | So, how'd you get stuck on this dirtball? |
| 1991 C. Claremont Grounded! 161 | Jesus Mary and Joseph, guys, we can hardly live together on this dirtball an' we're at least all the same species! |
| 1993 J. DeChancie & D. Bischoff Dr. Dimension 281 | All in favor of landing on this dirtball—this ‘planet’, if you can call it that—say ‘Aye’. |
| 1993 C. Rowley To Highland Nation 105 | They'll never accept you, Hof, you'll always be an Earther to them, a dirtball, if you know what I mean. |
| 2001 L.M. Bujold Ethan of Athos 44 | Those guys never stick their noses off their home dirtball. |
| 2002 D. Weber & S. White Shiva Option 78 | Until the last frigging Bug on that dirt ball is dead, we assume their defenses are at one hundred percent. |