21 lines
3.1 KiB
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21 lines
3.1 KiB
HTML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1" standalone="no"?>
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<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><title>grue</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="../../jargon.css" type="text/css"/><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.61.0"/><link rel="home" href="../index.html" title="The Jargon File"/><link rel="up" href="../G.html" title="G"/><link rel="previous" href="grovel.html" title="grovel"/><link rel="next" href="grunge.html" title="grunge"/></head><body><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">grue</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="grovel.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center">G</th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="grunge.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr/></div><dt><a id="grue"/><dt xmlns="" id="grue"><b>grue</b>: <span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="grammar">n.</span></dt></dt><dd><p> [from archaic English verb for <span class="firstterm">shudder</span>, as with fear] The grue was originated
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in the game <a href="../Z/Zork.html"><i class="glossterm">Zork</i></a> (Dave Lebling took the name from
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Jack Vance's <i class="citetitle">Dying Earth</i> fantasies) and used in
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several other <a href="../I/Infocom.html"><i class="glossterm">Infocom</i></a> games as a hint that you
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should perhaps look for a lamp, torch or some type of light source.
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Wandering into a dark area would cause the game to prompt you, “<span class="quote">It is
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very dark. If you continue you are likely to be eaten by a grue.</span>”
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If you failed to locate a light source within the next couple of moves this
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would indeed be the case.</p><p>The grue, according to scholars of the Great Underground Empire, is a
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sinister, lurking presence in the dark places of the earth. Its favorite
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diet is either adventurers or enchanters, but its insatiable appetite is
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tempered by its extreme fear of light. No grues have ever been seen by the
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light of day, and only a few have been observed in their underground
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lairs. Of those who have seen grues, few have survived their fearsome jaws
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to tell the tale. Grues have sickly glowing fur, fish-mouthed faces, sharp
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claws and fangs, and an uncontrollable tendency to slaver and gurgle. They
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are certainly the most evil-tempered of all creatures; to say they are
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touchy is a dangerous understatement. “<span class="quote">Sour as a grue</span>” is a
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common expression, even among grues themselves.</p><p>All this folklore is widely known among hackers.</p></dd><div class="navfooter"><hr/><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="grovel.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="../G.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="grunge.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">grovel </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="../index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> grunge</td></tr></table></div></body></html>
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