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English
Etymology
Blend of gnome + kidnapping.
Noun
gnome-napping (countable and uncountable, plural gnome-nappings)
- A prank in which one steals a garden gnome and then either leaves it posed in a public place or photographs it in front of tourist locations.
1997, John Griffin, Back Yard: A Gardening Life, →ISBN, page 20:There has always been plenty of gnome-napping in Adelaide, but there were no ransom notes for our dog, and it didn't turn up in any obvious places such as on the university lawns.
- 1999, Mona the Vampire, "There's No Place Like Gnome" (season 1, episode 4b):
- Mayor Rosenbaum: Considering the seriousness of the situation—hehe, not to mention my impending reelection campaign—I'm setting up a task force to deal with the gnome-nappings. Officer Halcroft will get right on it.
2003, Jeannie B. Thomas, Naked Barbies, Warrior Joes, and Other Forms of Visible Gender, →ISBN:The front's activities are similar to "gnome-nappings" in Australia that David Hult detailed in 1988 and Jan Brunvand described again in 1989.
2004, Marcus Mennes, Gnome & Garden: A Gnovelty Kit, →ISBN, page 44:There is a clandestine international conspiracy behind these gnome-nappings, similar in scope and complexity to those organized to perform crop circle hoaxes and stage UFO sightings.
2011 March 7, Julie Carpenter, “Gnome is where the heart is”, in The Express:In recent years the craze of “gnome- napping”. has been gathering pace.
2012, Sheila Radley, Fate Worse Than Death, →ISBN:They also, in view of the fact that Inspector Tait had just rung in to report that Annabel Yardley knew nothing about any gnome-napping expeditions by her weekend guests, put another question-mark against the gnome.
2015, Beverly Allen, For Whom the Bluebell Tolls, →ISBN:The gnome-napping continued unsolved for over a month, until one day, they were discovered in the soccer fields, lined up for a kickoff against a team of pink plastic flamingoes.