| Definitions of 'tar and feather' |
The New Hacker's Dictionary |
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1. tar and feather
[from Unix
tar(1)]
To create a transportable archive from a group of files by first sticking
them together with
tar(1)
(the Tape ARchiver) and then compressing the result (see
compress). The latter action is dubbed feathering partly for euphony and (if only for
contrived effect) by analogy to what you do with an airplane propeller to
decrease wind resistance, or with an oar to reduce water resistance;
smaller files, after all, slip through comm links more easily. Compare the
more common tarball. Earlier, the phrase referred
to a punishment in which the victims had tar being poured upon them and
then, whilst the tar was still sticky, having a pillow full of feathers -
or other material — thrown at them. See http://www.nwta.com/S/definition/tar.
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Definitions of tar and feather
