:snarf: /snarf/ vt. 1. To grab, esp. to grab a large document
or file for the purpose of using it with or without the author's
permission. See also {BLT}. 2. [in the UNIX community] To
fetch a file or set of files across a network. See also
{blast}. This term was mainstream in the late 1960s, meaning
`to eat piggishly'. It may still have this connotation in
context. "He's in the snarfing phase of hacking --- {FTP}ing
megs of stuff a day." 3. To acquire, with little concern for
legal forms or politesse (but not quite by stealing). "They
were giving away samples, so I snarfed a bunch of them."
4. Syn. for {slurp}. "This program starts by snarfing the
entire database into core, then...." 5. [GEnie] To spray
food or {programming fluid}s due to laughing at the wrong
moment. "I was drinking coffee, and when I read your post I
snarfed all over my desk." "If I keep reading this topic, I think
I'll have to snarf-proof my computer with a keyboard {condom}."
[This sense appears to be widespread among mundane teenagers ---
ESR]
-- The AI Hackers Dictionary
