bogon

bogon
 /boh'gon/, n.

   [very common; by analogy with proton/electron/neutron, but doubtless
   reinforced after 1980 by the similarity to Douglas Adams's `Vogons';
   see the Bibliography in Appendix C and note that Arthur Dent actually
   mispronounces `Vogons' as `Bogons' at one point]

   1. The elementary particle of bogosity (see {quantum bogodynamics}).
   For instance, "the Ethernet is emitting bogons again" means that it is
   broken or acting in an erratic or bogus fashion.

   2. A query packet sent from a TCP/IP domain resolver to a root server,
   having the reply bit set instead of the query bit.

   3. Any bogus or incorrectly formed packet sent on a network.

   4. By synecdoche, used to refer to any bogus thing, as in "I'd like to
   go to lunch with you but I've got to go to the weekly staff bogon".

   5. A person who is bogus or who says bogus things. This was
   historically the original usage, but has been overtaken by its
   derivative senses 1--4. See also {bogosity}, {bogus}; compare
   {psyton}, {fat electrons}, {magic smoke}.

   The bogon has become the type case for a whole bestiary of nonce
   particle names, including the `clutron' or `cluon' (indivisible
   particle of cluefulness, obviously the antiparticle of the bogon) and
   the futon (elementary particle of {randomness}, or sometimes of
   lameness). These are not so much live usages in themselves as examples
   of a live meta-usage: that is, it has become a standard joke or
   linguistic maneuver to "explain" otherwise mysterious circumstances by
   inventing nonce particle names. And these imply nonce particle
   theories, with all their dignity or lack thereof (we might note
   parenthetically that this is a generalization from "(bogus particle)
   theories" to "bogus (particle theories)"!). Perhaps such particles are
   the modern-day equivalents of trolls and wood-nymphs as standard
   starting-points around which to construct explanatory myths. Of
   course, playing on an existing word (as in the `futon') yields
   additional flavor. Compare {magic smoke}.
    

bogon

   /boh'gon/ (By analogy with proton/electron/neutron, but
   doubtless reinforced after 1980 by the similarity to Douglas
   Adams's "Vogons")

   1. The elementary particle of bogosity (see {quantum
   bogodynamics}).  For instance, "the Ethernet is emitting
   bogons again" means that it is broken or acting in an erratic
   or bogus fashion.

   2. A query {packet} sent from a {TCP/IP} {domain resolver} to
   a root server, having the reply bit set instead of the query
   bit.

   3. Any bogus or incorrectly formed packet sent on a network.

   4. A person who is bogus or who says bogus things.  This was
   historically the original usage, but has been overtaken by its
   derivative senses.  See also {bogosity}; compare {psyton},
   {fat electrons}, {magic smoke}.

   The bogon has become the type case for a whole bestiary of
   nonce particle names, including the "clutron" or "cluon"
   (indivisible particle of cluefulness, obviously the
   antiparticle of the bogon) and the futon (elementary particle
   of {randomness}, or sometimes of lameness).  These are not so
   much live usages in themselves as examples of a live
   meta-usage: that is, it has become a standard joke or
   linguistic maneuver to "explain" otherwise mysterious
   circumstances by inventing nonce particle names.  And these
   imply nonce particle theories, with all their dignity or lack
   thereof (we might note parenthetically that this is a
   generalisation from "(bogus particle) theories" to "bogus
   (particle theories)"!).  Perhaps such particles are the
   modern-day equivalents of trolls and wood-nymphs as standard
   starting-points around which to construct explanatory myths.
   Of course, playing on an existing word (as in the "futon")
   yields additional flavour.

   [{Jargon File}]