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interrupt

   interrupts normal processing and temporarily diverts
   flow-of-control through an "interrupt handler" routine.  See also
   trap.  2. interj. A request for attention from a hacker.
   Often explicitly spoken.  "Interrupt --- have you seen Joe
   recently?"  See priority interrupt.  3. Under MS-DOS, nearly
   synonymous with `system call', because the OS and BIOS routines
   are both called using the INT instruction (see interrupt list,
   the) and because programmers so often have to bypass the OS (going
   directly to a BIOS interrupt) to get reasonable
   performance.