The New York Times says that some young playwright's career is moving at warp speed. I was never particularly a Trekkie, but couldn't avoid knowing that in Star Trek warp speeds are beyond the speed of light. (And therefore beyond possibility, but never mind that.)
Given that I don't think much about Star Trek, "warp" first recalled accounts of ships that were warped here and there, either towed, or moved by the crew hauling on a rope secured to some fixed object. I find in Henry Adams's history of Madison's second administration
June 6, at leisure, Perry superintended the removal of the five small craft from the navy-yard at Black Rock; several hundred soldiers, seamen, and oxen warped them up stream into the Lake
(chapter "Proctor and Perry 1813") and
A little after dusk, Reid, seeing the suspicious movements of the enemy, began to warp is vessel close under the guns of the castle.
(chapter "Sloops-of-War, 1814")
The vessels so warped must have moved slowly, and certainly moved at the cost of considerable effort. That does sound much more like the usual progress of a writer, whether for the stage or otherwise, than the Star Trek warp speed does.
