[comp.emacs] Prefrobnicate

gaynor@topaz.rutgers.edu (Silver) (01/28/88)

What is the definition of prefrobnicate?  Or am I correct in assuming
it is just a nonsense verb used to try to snowjob technical
familiarity, as in:

       Because Gunther had lied about his expertise in hacking GNU
  Emacs, he gambled, "Um, set-buffer versus switch-to-buffer?  Well,
  since set-buffer prefrobnicates the buffer, you should use
  switch-to-buffer in most circumstances.".

which is also used jokingly?
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			  Cheers, V [Ag]
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      LOOKING FOR GNU EMACS DEVELOPMENT, C/LISP/SH PROGRAMMING
 Andy Gaynor   201-545-0458   81 Hassart St, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
   gaynor@topaz.rutgers.edu   ...!rutgers!topaz.rutgers.edu!gaynor
       "There is no Editor but Emacs, and Lisp is its Prophet."

mikep@ism780c.UUCP (Michael A. Petonic) (01/29/88)

In article <17658@topaz.rutgers.edu> gaynor@topaz.rutgers.edu (Silver) writes:
>What is the definition of prefrobnicate?  Or am I correct in assuming
>it is just a nonsense verb used to try to snowjob technical
>familiarity, as in:
>
> [ funny example deleted ]

I first encountered it in Guy L. Steele's text "The Hacker's Dictionary."

I guess "frob" means to diddle with something.   

-MikeP