Contents page

Index (83KB)

core dump


core dump: n. [common Iron Age jargon, preserved by UNIX]
   1. [techspeak] A copy of the contents of core, produced when a
   process is aborted by certain kinds of internal error.  2. By
   extension, used for humans passing out, vomiting, or registering
   extreme shock.  "He dumped core.  All over the floor.  What a
   mess."  "He heard about X and dumped core."  3. Occasionally
   used for a human rambling on pointlessly at great length; esp. in
   apology: "Sorry, I dumped core on you".  4. A recapitulation of
   knowledge (compare bits, sense 1).  Hence, spewing all one
   knows about a topic (syn. brain dump), esp. in a lecture or
   answer to an exam question.  "Short, concise answers are better
   than core dumps" (from the instructions to an exam at Columbia).
   See core.