2014-04-26 14:52:28 +00:00
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wall
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2014-04-26 15:54:15 +00:00
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interj. [WPI] 1. An indication of confusion, usually spoken with a quizzical
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tone: Wall?? 2. A request for further explication. Compare octal forty. 3.
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[Unix, from write all ] v. To send a message to everyone currently logged
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in, esp. with the wall (8) utility. It is said that sense 1 came from the
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idiom like talking to a blank wall. It was originally used in situations
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where, after you had carefully answered a question, the questioner stared at
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you blankly, clearly having understood nothing that was explained. You would
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then throw out a Hello, wall? to elicit some sort of response from the
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questioner. Later, confused questioners began voicing Wall? themselves.
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