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5 definitions found
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) : [ foldoc ]
frobnicate
/frob'ni-kayt/ (Possibly from frobnitz, and usually
abbreviated to frob, but "frobnicate" is recognised as the
official full form). To manipulate or adjust, to tweak.
One frequently frobs bits or other 2-state devices. Thus:
"Please frob the light switch" (that is, flip it), but also
"Stop frobbing that clasp; you'll break it". One also sees
the construction "to frob a frob".
Usage: frob, twiddle, and tweak sometimes connote points
along a continuum. "Frob" connotes aimless manipulation;
"twiddle" connotes gross manipulation, often a coarse search
for a proper setting; "tweak" connotes fine-tuning. If
someone is turning a knob on an oscilloscope, then if he's
carefully adjusting it, he is probably tweaking it; if he is
just turning it but looking at the screen, he is probably
twiddling it; but if he's just doing it because turning a knob
is fun, he's frobbing it. The variant "frobnosticate" has
also been reported.
(1994-12-16)
From Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001) : [ jargon ]
frobnicate /frob'ni-kayt/ vt. [Poss. derived from frobnitz, and
usually abbreviated to frob, but `frobnicate' is recognized as the
official full form.] To manipulate or adjust, to tweak. One frequently
frobs bits or other 2-state devices. Thus: "Please frob the light
switch" (that is, flip it), but also "Stop frobbing that clasp; you'll
break it". One also sees the construction `to frob a frob'. See tweak
and twiddle.
Usage: frob, twiddle, and tweak sometimes connote points along a
continuum. `Frob' connotes aimless manipulation; `twiddle' connotes
gross manipulation, often a coarse search for a proper setting; `tweak'
connotes fine-tuning. If someone is turning a knob on an oscilloscope,
then if he's carefully adjusting it, he is probably tweaking it; if he
is just turning it but looking at the screen, he is probably twiddling
it; but if he's just doing it because turning a knob is fun, he's
frobbing it. The variant `frobnosticate' has been recently reported.
From English Wiktionary: English language only (2023-07-27) : [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-en-2023-07-27 ]
frobnicate
vb.
(lb en computing slang rare transitive) (syn of en frob manipulate
in some ill-defined way; tweak)
From English Wiktionary: Western, Greek, and Slavonic languages only (2023-07-27) : [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-Western_Greek_Slavonic-2023-07-27 ]
frobnicate
vb.
(lb en computing slang rare transitive) (syn of en frob manipulate
in some ill-defined way; tweak)
From English Wiktionary: Western languages only (2023-07-27) : [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-Western-2023-07-27 ]
frobnicate
vb.
(lb en computing slang rare transitive) (syn of en frob manipulate
in some ill-defined way; tweak)
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