mess-dos /mesdos/ , n. [semi-obsolescent now that DOS is] Derisory term for MS-DOS. Often followed by the ritual banishing Just say No! See MS-DOS. Most hackers (even many MS-DOS hackers) loathed MS-DOS for its single-tasking nature, its limits on application size, its nasty primitive interface, and its ties to IBMness and Microsoftness (see fear and loathing ). Also mess-loss , messy-dos , mess-dog , mess-dross , mush-dos , and various combinations thereof. In Ireland and the U.K. it is even sometimes called Domestos after a brand of toilet cleanser.