[MIT; now common everywhere]
1. vi. To succeed. A program wins if no unexpected conditions arise, or (especially) if it is sufficiently robust to take exceptions in stride.
2. n. Success, or a specific
instance thereof. A pleasing outcome. So it turned out I could use
a lexer generator instead of hand-coding my own
pattern recognizer. What a win!
Emphatic forms: moby win, super
win, hyper-win (often used
interjectively as a reply). For some reason suitable win is also common at MIT, usually in
reference to a satisfactory solution to a problem. Oppose
lose; see also big win, which
isn't quite just an intensification of win.