netlag: [IRC, MUD] n. A condition that occurs when the delays in the {IRC} network or on a {MUD} become severe enough that servers briefly lose and then reestablish contact,

:netlag: [IRC, MUD] n. A condition that occurs when the delays in
the {IRC} network or on a {MUD} become severe enough that
servers briefly lose and then reestablish contact, causing messages
to be delivered in bursts, often with delays of up to a minute.
(Note that this term has nothing to do with mainstream "jet lag",
a condition which hackers tend not to be much bothered by.)
-- The AI Hackers Dictionary