English

adj : of or relating to or characteristic of England or its

culture; "English histry"; "the English landed

aristocracy"; "English literature" [syn: {English}]

n 1: an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic

branch; the official language of Britain and the US and

most of the Commonwealth countries [syn: {English}, {English

language}]

2: the people of England [syn: {English}, {English people}, {the

English}]

3: the discipline that studies the English language and

literature [syn: {English}]

4: (sports) the spin given to a ball by striking it on one side

or releasing it with a sharp twist [syn: {English}, {side}]

English

1. (Obsolete) The source code for a program, which may be in

any language, as opposed to the linkable or executable binary

produced from it by a compiler. The idea behind the term is

that to a real hacker, a program written in his favourite

programming language is at least as readable as English.

Usage: mostly by old-time hackers, though recognisable in

context.

2. The official name of the {database} language used by the

{Pick} {operating system}, actually a sort of crufty,

brain-damaged {SQL} with delusions of grandeur. The name

permits {marketroid}s to say "Yes, and you can program our

computers in English!" to ignorant {suit}s without quite

running afoul of the truth-in-advertising laws.

["Exploring the Pick Operating System", J.E. Sisk et al,

Hayden 1986].

[{Jargon File}]