core dump
n. [common Iron Age jargon, preserved by UNIX]
1. [techspeak] A copy of the contents of core, produced when a
process is aborted by certain kinds of internal error. 2. By
extension, used for humans passing out, vomiting, or registering
extreme shock. "He dumped core. All over the floor. What a
mess." "He heard about X and dumped core." 3. Occasionally
used for a human rambling on pointlessly at great length; esp. in
apology: "Sorry, I dumped core on you". 4. A recapitulation of
knowledge (compare bits, sense 1). Hence, spewing all one
knows about a topic (syn. brain dump), esp. in a lecture or
answer to an exam question. "Short, concise answers are better
than core dumps" (from the instructions to an exam at Columbia).
See core.
