swipe in / swipe out

v.

To enter and leave a secure location by sliding an identification card through an electronic card reader.

Example Citation:

"When it first came out it used to be really confusing. You used to go into lessons and think, "Right, I've swiped in, do I need to swipe out?" In the double period you used to swipe in, swipe out and swipe in again — really confusing."

— Martin Whittaker, "Student Pass Is Smart Move," The Times Educational Supplement, June 8, 2001

Earliest Citation:

Access to the various sections of our facilities is limited to authorized employees. This is done through the use of a 'swipe-in'/'swipe-out' card system that allows us to account for individuals who are working in certain areas and the times that they are in these areas."

—Robert Glass, "Testimony before the House Committee on Banking and Financial Services," Federal News Service, July 28, 1998

Notes:

These admirably economical verbs strike me as the perfect shorthand for what has become an everyday act for many people. So it's a bit surprising that they only seem to be a few years old.

Much older variations on these verbs are badge in and badge out, which date to 1985:

For those who come to the hiring hall faithfully each day and line up at the windows to formally 'badge in' and 'badge out,' there is at least the promise of the GAI.

— Eugene L. Meyer, "Longshoremen on the Line," The Washington Post, October 12, 1985

Related Words:

badge ball

passface

skimming

swiped out

Category:

Technology (General)