xyzzy

xyzzy
 /X.Y.Z.Z.Y/, /X.Y.ziz'ee/, /ziz'ee/, /ik.ziz'ee/, adj.

   [from the ADVENT game] The {canonical} `magic word'. This comes from
   {ADVENT}, in which the idea is to explore an underground cave with
   many rooms and to collect the treasures you find there. If you type
   xyzzy at the appropriate time, you can move instantly between two
   otherwise distant points. If, therefore, you encounter some bit of
   {magic}, you might remark on this quite succinctly by saying simply
   "Xyzzy!" "Ordinarily you can't look at someone else's screen if he has
   protected it, but if you type quadruple-bucky-clear the system will
   let you do it anyway." "Xyzzy!" It's traditional for xyzzy to be an
   {Easter egg} in games with text interfaces.

   Xyzzy has actually been implemented as an undocumented no-op command
   on several OSes; in Data General's AOS/VS, for example, it would
   typically respond "Nothing happens", just as {ADVENT} did if the magic
   was invoked at the wrong spot or before a player had performed the
   action that enabled the word. In more recent 32-bit versions, by the
   way, AOS/VS responds "Twice as much happens".

   Early versions of the popular `minesweeper' game under Microsoft
   Windows had a cheat mode triggered by the command
   `xyzzy<enter><right-shift>' that turns the top-left pixel of the
   screen different colors depending on whether or not the cursor is over
   a bomb. This feature temporarily disappeared in Windows 98, but
   reappeared in Windows 2000.

   The following passage from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank
   Baum, suggesting a possible pre-ADVENT origin, has recently come to
   light: "Ziz-zy, zuz-zy, zik!" said Dorothy, who was now standing on
   both feet. This ended the saying of the charm, and they heard a great
   chattering and flapping of wings, as the band of Winged Monkeys flew
   up to them.

   The text can be viewed at Project Gutenberg.
    

xyzzy

   <games> The {canonical} "magic word" from the {ADVENT}
   adventure game, in which the idea is to explore an underground
   cave with many rooms and to collect the treasures you find
   there.  If you type "xyzzy" at the appropriate time, you can
   move instantly between two otherwise distant points.  If,
   therefore, you encounter some bit of {magic}, you might remark
   on this quite succinctly by saying simply "Xyzzy!"
   "Ordinarily you can't look at someone else's screen if he has
   protected it, but if you type quadruple-bucky-clear the system
   will let you do it anyway."  "Xyzzy!"  Xyzzy has actually been
   implemented as an undocumented no-op command on several OSes;
   in Data General's AOS/VS, for example, it would typically
   respond "Nothing happens", just as {ADVENT} did if the magic
   was invoked at the wrong spot or before a player had performed
   the action that enabled the word.  In more recent 32 bit
   versions, by the way, AOS/VS responds "Twice as much happens".
   See also {plugh}.

   [{Jargon File}]