English Dictionary: boa | by the DICT Development Group |
4 results for boa | |
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]: | |
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From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Boa \Bo"a\, n.; pl. {Boas} . [L. boa a kind of water serpent. Perh. fr. bos an ox.] 1. (Zo[94]l.) A genus of large American serpents, including the boa constrictor, the emperor boa of Mexico ({B. imperator}), and the chevalier boa of Peru ({B. eques}). Note: The name is also applied to related genera; as, the dog-headed boa ({Xiphosoma caninum}). 2. A long, round fur tippet; -- so called from its resemblance in shape to the boa constrictor. | |
From Jargon File (4.2.0, 31 JAN 2000) [jargon]: | |
boa [IBM] n. Any one of the fat cables that lurk under the floor in a {dinosaur pen}. Possibly so called because they display a ferocious life of their own when you try to lay them straight and flat after they have been coiled for some time. It is rumored within IBM that channel cables for the 370 are limited to 200 feet because beyond that length the boas get dangerous -- and it is worth noting that one of the major cable makers uses the trademark `Anaconda'. | |
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (15Feb98) [foldoc]: | |
boa [IBM] Any one of the fat cables that lurk under the floor in a {dinosaur pen}. Possibly so called because they display a ferocious life of their own when you try to lay them straight and flat after they have been coiled for some time. It is rumored within IBM that channel cables for the 370 are limited to 200 feet because beyond that length the boas get dangerous --- and it is worth noting that one of the major cable makers uses the trademark "Anaconda". [{Jargon File}] |