Precedence lossage
/pre’s*-dens los’*j/ A misunderstanding of operator precedence resulting in unintended grouping of arithmetic or logical operators when coding an expression. Used especially of mistakes in C code due to the nonintuitively low precedence of “&”, “|”, “^”, “>”. For example, the following C expression, intended to test the least significant bit of x,
x & 1 == 0
is parsed as
x & (1 == 0)
which is always zero (false).
Some lazy programmers ignore precedence and parenthesise everything. Lisp fans enjoy pointing out that this can’t happen in *their* favourite language, which eschews precedence entirely, requiring one to use explicit parentheses everywhere.
[Jargon File]
(1994-12-16)
Read Also:
- Precedences
noun 1. act or fact of preceding. 2. the right to precede in order, rank, or importance; priority. 3. the fact of preceding in time; antedating. 4. the right to precede others in ceremonies or social formalities. 5. the order to be observed in ceremonies by persons of different ranks, as by diplomatic protocol. noun […]
- Precedency
noun, plural precedencies. 1. precedence.
- Precedent
noun 1. Law. a legal decision or form of proceeding serving as an authoritative rule or pattern in future similar or analogous cases. 2. any act, decision, or case that serves as a guide or justification for subsequent situations. Synonyms: example, model, pattern, standard. adjective, precedent 3. going or coming before; preceding; anterior. noun (ˈprɛsɪdənt) […]
- Precedented
adjective 1. (of a decision, etc) supported by having a precedent
- Precedential
[pres-i-den-shuh l] /ˌprɛs ɪˈdɛn ʃəl/ adjective 1. of the nature of or constituting a precedent. 2. having precedence. precedential /ˌprɛsɪˈdɛnʃəl/ adjective 1. of, involving, or serving as a precedent 2. having precedence