hack definition
<jargon> 1. Originally, a quick job that produces what is
needed, but not well.
2. An incredibly good, and perhaps very time-consuming, piece
of work that produces exactly what is needed.
3. To bear emotionally or physically. "I can't hack this
heat!"
4. To work on something (typically a program). In an
immediate sense: "What are you doing?" "I'm hacking TECO."
In a general (time-extended) sense: "What do you do around
here?" "I hack TECO." More generally, "I hack "foo"" is
roughly equivalent to ""foo" is my major interest (or
project)". "I hack solid-state physics." See Hacking X for
Y.
5. To pull a prank on. See hacker.
6. To interact with a computer in a playful and exploratory
rather than goal-directed way. "Whatcha up to?" "Oh, just
hacking."
7. Short for hacker.
8. See nethack.
9. (MIT) To explore the basements, roof ledges, and steam
tunnels of a large, institutional building, to the dismay of
Physical Plant workers and (since this is usually performed at
educational institutions) the Campus Police. This activity
has been found to be eerily similar to playing adventure games
such as Dungeons and Dragons and Zork. See also
vadding.
See also neat hack, real hack.
[Jargon File]
(1996-08-26)
Nearby terms:
H.261 « H.323 « Habitat « hack » hackathon » hack attack » hacked off
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