Frobs (was: Re: how to pronounce '*')

[Brian Kantor]

.DF FROB
1. n. (MIT) The official Tech Model Railroad Club definition is
.QU "FROB = protruding arm or trunnion,"
and by metaphoric extension
any somewhat small thing.  See FROBNITZ.  2. v. Abbreviated form of
FROBNICATE.
.DF FROBNICATE
v. To manipulate or adjust, to tweak.  Derived from
FROBNITZ (q.v.).  Usually abbreviated to FROB.  Thus one has the
saying
.QU "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.
.DF FROBNITZ,
pl. FROBNITZEM (frob\*(fmnitsm) n. An unspecified physical
object, a widget.  Also refers to electronic black boxes.
This rare form is usually abbreviated to FROTZ, or more commonly to FROB.
Also used are FROBNULE, FROBULE, and FROBNODULE.  Starting
perhaps in 1979, FROBBOZ (fruh-bahz\*(fm), pl. FROBBOTZIM, has also
become very popular, largely due to its exposure via the Adventure
spin-off called Zork (Dungeon).
These can also be applied to
non-physical objects, such as data structures.