May 15, 2003

snarf

/snarf/ vt.

1. To grab, esp. to grab a large document or file for the purpose of using it with or without the author's permission. See also BLT.

2. [in the Unix community] To fetch a file or set of files across a network. See also blast. This term was mainstream in the late 1960s, meaning ‘to eat piggishly’. It may still have this connotation in context. He's in the snarfing phase of hacking — FTPing megs of stuff a day.

3. To acquire, with little concern for legal forms or politesse (but not quite by stealing). They were giving away samples, so I snarfed a bunch of them.

4. Syn. for slurp. This program starts by snarfing the entire database into core, then....

5. [GEnie] To spray food or programming fluids due to laughing at the wrong moment. I was drinking coffee, and when I read your post I snarfed all over my desk. If I keep reading this topic, I think I'll have to snarf-proof my computer with a keyboard condom. [This sense appears to be widespread among mundane teenagers —ESR] The sound of snarfing is splork!.

Posted by Jargon File at May 15, 2003 10:29 AM

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