from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
cationic cocktail
Downy cocktail
<hardware> (Or "Downy cocktail") Diluted fabric softener
sprayed on computer room carpets to prevent static electricity
from being built up by feet shuffling on carpet.
The {canonical} cationic cocktail is one part unscented liquid
fabric softener (in the US, usually "Downy" brand) to five
parts water.
"Cationic" is the chemical term for the most common active
ingredient in fabric softeners. The use of the term
"cocktail" may be influenced by its use in other jargons,
especially pharmacological and chemical, to denote a mixture
which, like cationic cocktail, typically contains no alcohol
and would be unwise to drink.
(1998-04-04)