toy

n 1: an artifact designed to be played with [syn: {plaything}]

2: a nonfunctional replica of something else (frequently used

as a modifier); "a toy stove"

3: a copy that reproduces something in greatly reduced size

[syn: {miniature}]

4: any of several breeds of very small dogs kept purely as pets

[syn: {toy dog}]

v 1: behave carelessly or indifferently; "Play about with a young

girl's affection" [syn: {dally}, {play}, {flirt}]

2: manipulate manually with no purpose or aim; often without

being conscious of doing so; "She played nervously with

her wedding ring"; "Don't fiddle with the screws" [syn: {fiddle},

{diddle}, {play}]

toy

A computer system; always used with qualifiers.

1. "nice toy": One that supports the speaker's hacking style

adequately.

2. "just a toy": A machine that yields insufficient

{computron}s for the speaker's preferred uses. This is not

condemnatory, as is {bitty box}; toys can at least be fun. It

is also strongly conditioned by one's expectations; Cray XMP

users sometimes consider the Cray-1 a "toy", and certainly all

RISC boxes and mainframes are toys by their standards. See

also {Get a real computer!}.

[{Jargon File}]