interrupt 1. [techspeak] n. On a computer, an event that interrupts normal processing and temporarily diverts flow-of-control through an "interrupt handler" routine.

interrupt

1. [techspeak] n. On a computer, an event
that 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)
and because programmers so often have to bypass the OS (going
directly to a BIOS interrupt) to get reasonable
performance.