Nasal demons
Recognised shorthand on the Usenet group comp.std.c for any unexpected behaviour of a C compiler on encountering an undefined construct. During a discussion on that group in early 1992, a regular remarked “When the compiler encounters [a given undefined construct] it is legal for it to make demons fly out of your nose” (the implication is that the compiler may choose any arbitrarily bizarre way to interpret the code without violating the ANSI C standard). Someone else followed up with a reference to “nasal demons”, which quickly became established.
[Jargon File]
Read Also:
- Nasal-index
noun 1. Craniometry. (of the skull) the ratio of the distance from nasion to the lower margin of the nasal aperture to that of the maximum breadth of the nasal aperture. 2. Cephalometry. (of the head) the ratio of the maximum breadth of the external nose to its height from the nasal root to where […]
- Nasality
[ney-zuh l] /ˈneɪ zəl/ adjective 1. of or relating to the nose: the nasal cavity. 2. Phonetics. pronounced with the voice issuing through the nose, either partly, as in French nasal vowels, or entirely (as in m, n, or the ng of song). noun 3. Phonetics. a nasal speech sound. /ˈneɪzəl/ adjective 1. of or […]
- Nasalize
[ney-zuh-lahyz] /ˈneɪ zəˌlaɪz/ Phonetics verb (used with object), nasalized, nasalizing. 1. to pronounce as a sound. verb (used without object), nasalized, nasalizing. 2. to pronounce normally oral sounds as nasal sounds. /ˈneɪzəˌlaɪz/ verb 1. (transitive) to pronounce nasally
- Nasally
[ney-zuh-lee, -zuh l-lee] /ˈneɪ zə li, -zəl li/ adverb 1. in a manner. 2. by inhaling through the nose: to take drugs nasally.
- Nasal meatus
nasal meatus n. Any of three passages, designated inferior, middle, and superior, in the nasal cavity that are formed by the projection of the ethmoidal crests.