halt

adj : disabled in the feet or legs [syn: {crippled}, {halting}, {lame}]

n 1: the state of inactivity following an interruption; "the

negotiations were in arrest"; "held them in check";

"during the halt he got some lunch"; "he spent the

entire stay in his room" [syn: {arrest}, {check}, {hitch},

{stay}, {stop}, {stoppage}]

2: the event of something ending; "it came to a stop at the

bottom of the hill" [syn: {stop}]

3: an interruption or temporary suspension of progress or

movement: "a halt in the arms race"; "a nuclear freeze"

[syn: {freeze}]

v 1: cause to stop; "Halt the engines"; "Arrest the progress";

"halt the presses" [syn: {hold}, {arrest}]

2: come to a halt, stop moving; "the car stopped"; "She stopped

in front of a store window" [syn: {stop}] [ant: {start}]

3: stop from happening or developing; "Block his election";

"Halt the process" [syn: {stop}, {block}, {kibosh}]

4: come to rest [syn: {settle}]

5: as of the flow of a liquid flowing, such as blood from a

wound [syn: {stem}, {stanch}, {staunch}]

6: cause to stop or halt; "Halt the engine"

alt

/awlt/ 1. The alt {modifier key} on many

{keyboards}, including the {IBM PC}. On some keyboards and

{operating systems}, (but not the IBM PC) the alt key sets bit

7 of the character generated.

See {bucky bits}.

2. The "{clover}" or "Command" key on a {Macintosh}; use of

this term usually reveals that the speaker hacked PCs before

coming to the Mac (see also {feature key}). Some Mac hackers,

confusingly, reserve "alt" for the Option key (and it is so

labelled on some Mac II keyboards).

3. (Obsolete {PDP-10}; often "ALT") An alternate name for the

{ASCII} ESC character (Escape, ASCII 27), after the keycap

labelling on some older {terminals}; also "altmode"

(/awlt'mohd/). This character was almost never pronounced

"escape" on an {ITS} system, in {TECO} or under {TOPS-10},

always alt, as in "Type alt alt to end a TECO command" or

"alt-U onto the system" (for "log onto the [ITS] system").

This usage probably arose because alt is easier to say.

4. One of the {Usenet} {newsgroup} {hierarchies}.

It was founded by {John Gilmore} and {Brian Reid}. The alt

hierarchy is special in that anyone can create new groups here

without going though the normal voting proceduers, hence the

regular appearence of new groups with names such as

"alt.swedish.chef.bork.bork.bork".

[{Jargon File}]

(1997-04-12)