tar and feather
<jargon> (A sick contrivance from the Unix tar command and the Ku Klux
Klan torture method) To create a transportable archive from a group of files by
first sticking them together with tar (the Tape ARchiver) and then compressing
the result. The latter action is dubbed "feathering" (purely for contrived
effect) by analogy to what you do with an aeroplane propeller to decrease wind
resistance, or with an oar to reduce water resistance; smaller files, after all,
slip through comm links more easily.
[Jargon File]
(1997-05-26)
Nearby terms:
Tape Operating System « TAPI « tar « tar and
feather
» tarball » targa » Targa Graphics Adaptor
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