Hyper Dictionary

English Dictionary Computer Dictionary Thesaurus Dream Dictionary Medical Dictionary


Search Dictionary:  

Meaning of HACK

Pronunciation:  hak

Computing Dictionary
 
 Definition: 

1. Originally, a quick job that produces what is needed, but not well.

2. An incredibly good, and perhaps very time-consuming, piece of work that produces exactly what is needed.

3. To bear emotionally or physically. "I can't hack this heat!"

4. To work on something (typically a program). In an immediate sense: "What are you doing?" "I'm hacking TECO." In a general (time-extended) sense: "What do you do around here?" "I hack TECO." More generally, "I hack "foo"" is roughly equivalent to ""foo" is my major interest (or project)". "I hack solid-state physics." See Hacking X for Y.

5. To pull a prank on. See hacker.

6. To interact with a computer in a playful and exploratory rather than goal-directed way. "Whatcha up to?" "Oh, just hacking."

7. Short for hacker.

8. See nethack.

9. (MIT) To explore the basements, roof ledges, and steam tunnels of a large, institutional building, to the dismay of Physical Plant workers and (since this is usually performed at educational institutions) the Campus Police. This activity has been found to be eerily similar to playing adventure games such as Dungeons and Dragons and Zork. See also vadding.

See also neat hack, real hack.

[Jargon File]

 
 Websites: 
 
Thesaurus Terms
 
 Related Terms: amble, amputate, antiquated, Aqua-Lung, artificial respiration, aspiration, asthmatic wheeze, autobus, ax, backseat driver, balker, balky horse, banal, bark, batter, beast of burden, bidet, birthmark, bisect, blaze, blemish, blotch, blow, brand, breath, breath of air, breathe, breathe hard, breathe in, breathe out, breathing, broken wind, bullwhacker, bus, bus driver, busman, butcher, cab, cabby, cabdriver, cabman, cameleer, canter, caracole, carriage horse, cart horse, carter, cartman, carve, caste mark, cavalry horse, charioteer, chartered bus, chauffeur, check, checkmark, chop, cicatrix, cleave, cleft, cliche, cliched, coachman, coachy, cocher, cochero, common, commonplace, cough, crena, crock, crowbait, curvet, cut, cut away, cut in two, cut off, damage, dapple, declasse, deface, depression, destroy, dichotomize, diligence, discoloration, dissever, dog, dot, double-decker, draft horse, dray horse, drayman, driver, driving horse, drudge, dull, earmark, elephant driver, engraving, excise, exhalation, exhale, exhaust, expel, expiration, expire, exsufflation, fag, fell, fill horse, filler, fissure, fleck, flick, freckle, frisk, galley slave, gallop, garron, gash, gasp, gharry-wallah, gigster, go on horseback, goat, graving, greasy grind, grind, grub, grubber, gulp, hackdriver, hackle, hackman, hackney, hackneyed, hacky, haggle, halve, harness racer, hew, hiccup, hired car, hireling, hit-and-run driver, huff, humdrum, hunter, incise, incision, inconsequential, indentation, inhalation, inhalator, inhale, inspiration, inspire, insufflation, iron lung, jade, jag, Jehu, jigsaw, jitney, jitney driver, jog, joggle, jot, joyrider, jughead, jument, kerf, lacerate, lackey, lance, lead, leader, lentigo, literary hack, lope, low-grade, machine, macula, mahout, mail coach, mangle, mark, marking, mean, mediocre, menial, mercenary, mole, moth-eaten, motor coach, motorbus, motorist, mottle, mouldy, mount, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, mule skinner, muleteer, mutilate, nag, nevus, nick, nock, notch, old, old hat, omnibus, ordinary, outmoded, outworn, overdone, overworked, oxygen mask, oxygen tent, pace, pack horse, palfrey, pant, pare, party hack, patch, peanut politician, penny-a-liner, petty, piaffe, plodder, plow horse, plug, point, pole horse, political dabbler, politicaster, polka dot, polo pony, poor, post coach, post-horse, potboiler, prance, prick, prune, puff, puncture, reinsman, remount, rend, respiration, respire, ride bareback, ride hard, rider, riding horse, rive, road hog, road horse, roadster, roarer, rogue, rosinante, rouncy, routine, ruin, run-of-the-mill, saddle horse, saddler, saw, scalawag, scar, scarification, scissor, score, scotch, scratch, scratching, scribbler, scuba, second-class, second-rate, servant, sever, shaft horse, sigh, skinner, slash, slave, slavey, slice, slit, slogger, smash, sneeze, sniff, sniffle, snip, snore, snoring, snort, snuff, snuffle, speck, speckle, speeder, splash, split, splotch, spot, stage, stage coachman, stagecoach, stain, stale, stalking-horse, statemonger, stereotyped, sternutation, stertor, stiff, stigma, stock, strawberry mark, sumpter, sumpter horse, Sunday driver, sunder, suspiration, swot, take horse, tattoo, tattoo mark, taxi, taxicab, taxidriver, teamster, tear, tedious, thill horse, thiller, tick, timeworn, tired, tittle, tittup, toiler, trite, trivial, trot, truck driver, trucker, truckman, unoriginal, usual, vetturino, voiturier, wagoner, wagonman, watermark, well-worn, wheeler, wheelhorse, wheeze, whip, whistler, whittle, wind, workhorse
 

 

 

 

COPYRIGHT © 2000-2003 WEBNOX CORP. HOME | ABOUT HYPERDICTIONARY