cdr /ku'dr/ or /kuh'dr/ vt.
[from LISP] To skip past
the first item from a list of things (generalized from the LISP
operation on binary tree structures, which returns a list
consisting of all but the first element of its argument). In the
form `cdr down', to trace down a list of elements: "Shall we cdr
down the agenda?" Usage: silly. See also loop through.
Historical note: The instruction format of the IBM 704 that hosted
the original LISP implementation featured two 15-bit fields called
the `address' and `decrement' parts. The term `cdr' was originally
`Contents of Decrement part of Register'. Similarly, `car' stood
for `Contents of Address part of Register'.
The cdr and car operations have since become bases for
formation of compound metaphors in non-LISP contexts. GLS recalls,
for example, a programming project in which strings were
represented as linked lists; the get-character and skip-character
operations were of course called CHAR and CHDR.
[from LISP] To skip past
the first item from a list of things (generalized from the LISP
operation on binary tree structures, which returns a list
consisting of all but the first element of its argument). In the
form `cdr down', to trace down a list of elements: "Shall we cdr
down the agenda?" Usage: silly. See also loop through.
Historical note: The instruction format of the IBM 704 that hosted
the original LISP implementation featured two 15-bit fields called
the `address' and `decrement' parts. The term `cdr' was originally
`Contents of Decrement part of Register'. Similarly, `car' stood
for `Contents of Address part of Register'.
The cdr and car operations have since become bases for
formation of compound metaphors in non-LISP contexts. GLS recalls,
for example, a programming project in which strings were
represented as linked lists; the get-character and skip-character
operations were of course called CHAR and CHDR.
Related:
- cdr: /ku'dr/ or /kuh'dr/ [from LISP] vt. To skip past the
first item from a list of things (generalized from the LISP
operation on binary tree structures,
which returns a list consisting of all but the first... - loop through: vt. To process each element of a list of things.
"Hold on, I've got to loop through my paper mail."... - loop through vt.
To process each element of a list of
things.
"Hold on, I've got to loop through my paper mail."... - ALL USERS PLEASE NOTE ========================
CAR and CDR now return extra values.
The function CAR now returns two values. Since it... - cons: /konz/ or /kons/ [from LISP] 1. vt. To add a new element
to a specified list,
esp. at the top. "OK, cons picking a replacement... - cons /konz/ or /kons/
[from LISP] 1. vt. To add a new
element to a specified list,
esp. at the top. "OK, cons picking a replacement... - cat: [from `catenate' via {{UNIX}} `cat(1)'] vt.
1.
[techspeak] To spew an entire file to the screen or... - cat [from `catenate' via Unix cat(1)] vt.
1. [techspeak] To spew an entire file to the screen or some other
output sink without pause.
2. By extension, to dump large amounts of data at... - LISP car-and-cdr worlds are a more reasonable representation of the
things that make life interesting than fixed decimal(15) or
FILE OLDMSTR RECORD IS PAYROLL.
Bernie...
From the same category:
- lag n.
[MUD, IRC; very common] When used without
qualification this is synomous with netlag.
Curiously, people will often complain "I'm really... - register dancing n.
Many older processor architectures
suffer from a serious shortage of general-purpose registers.
This is especially a problem for compiler-writers... - warm boot n.
See boot... - text n.
1. [techspeak] Executable code, esp. a `pure
code' portion shared between multiple instances of a program
running in a multitasking OS.
Compare English. 2. Textual material in... - out-of-band adj.
[from telecommunications and network
theory] 1.
In software, describes values of a function which are...
