trash

trap door = T = trawl

trash vt.

To destroy the contents of (said of a data structure). The most common of the family of near-synonyms including mung, mangle, and scribble.

--Jargon File, autonoded by rescdsk.

Temporary storage directory on the Mac OS for to-be-deleted files. Files can be moved in and out of the Trash, but they are not truly gone until "Empty Trash..." is selected (and even then, recovery is possible if the stuff's not overwritten).

As part of Apple's early 1980s attempts to replicate the physical desktop on a computer monitor, a trash can was added to the Macintosh GUI. According to Bruce Tognazzini, the Trash was more importantly seen by the Mac and Lisa teams as a "neat" feature that people would like. It's an excellent example of human interface, reducing a concept most people wouldn't really understand (identifying tracks and sectors for zero-overwrite) to a simple idea folks were already familiar with (getting rid of files).

On most Macs, the Trash sits in the lower-right of the desktop, overflowing with papers when full, and looking quite slender and stately when empty. The trash icon was given an overhaul with Mac OS 8; the System 7 Trash was 2-D in appearance and bulged to the point of nearly breaking when files were inside. In Mac OS X Public Beta the Trash gains the appearance of a wastebasket and moves into the Dock. It remains to be seen whether this location will carry through to the final release, or if the Trash will get a contextual menu command for emptying like its Mac OS 9 cousin.

More than ten years after the Trash was introduced, Microsoft included a presumably more eco-friendly Recycle Bin to Windows 9x. The comapny line is that the true function of Recycle Bin/Trash directories is more accurately depicted by a recycling container, but let's face it: the only reason Microsoft gave it the unwieldy and decidedly lame Recycle Bin handle is Apple's lawyers.

I used to ResEdit the System and turn my Trash into a Nuclear Waste container, complete with a *zap!* sound upon emptying, but that got old fast.

As an acronym for Testing Recall About Strange Happenings, a College Bowl-like organization featuring academic competition questions about very un-academic subjects. TRASH tournaments (such as TRASH Regionals and TRASHionals) attract undergraduates, grad students, and dinosaurs -- people who play for love of the game but have already graduated from any number of institutions. Topics include music (with a lot of '80s music), movies, sports, geek stuff, floof (women's stuff), TRASH lit, and a category modestly titled "weird." Some writers are particularly demented: weird questions have included obscure pornography, penis piercings, and other stuff that I need not mention here.

TRASH includes some fun diversions, like the psychic bonus that's worth 40 points if you can guess the answer off of no information and the one-point bonus. Example:

Name the musician, 40-30-20-10-1.

• 40: He's a musician.
• 30: (Some obscure clue.)
• 20: (Some less obscure clue.)
• 10: He is best known for such songs as Piano Man and River of Dreams.
• 1: His albums include Billy Joel's Greatest Hits Volumes 1, 2, and 3.

Answer: Billy JOEL

The best reason to go to TRASH tournaments is for the eclectic prizes they give away. They include such oddities as WWF plush dolls, J.R. Beer pins, and the grand prize of TRASHionals, the ECW Championship Belt. The belt was donated to TRASH's James Dinan by the former head of Extreme Championship Wrestling, after the league went bankrupt.

I have a couple brief notes to add to Uberfetus's excellent writeup about the Trash on Mac OS.

The Trash on the original System 1.0 did not serve the "temporary storage" function; rather, it was automatically emptied on every reboot, and I believe whenever you launched an application (this was before the advent of multitasking on the Mac with MultiFinder.) I believe that the Trash ceased to automatically empty starting with System 7.

The name "Trash" is a special file name, and cannot be used for any other files or folders. Whenever you try to create or rename a file or folder "Trash", you get an error reading, The name "Trash" is reserved by the system software. Please use a different name.

When you choose "Empty Trash..." from the Special menu in the Finder, you get a dialog box reading, The Trash contains n items, which use x MB of disk space. Are you sure you want to remove these items permanently? You can bypass this message by holding the Option key down while selecting the "Empty Trash" command. The ellipsis will disappear in this case, as Macintosh Human Interface Guidlines state that an ellipsis should indicate that a request for user input (a dialog box) will follow selection of the command.

Trash is one of the treats that we were able to make in a class called Family Relations. It was a little messy, but fun to make. Just make sure that yours doesn't turn out looking like shredded mini wheats.

Here's what you need:

1/2 stick margarine

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 large box Chex cereal (about 8 cups)

1-1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

Put margarine, chocolate chips, and peanut butter in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high for two minutes. Stir until well blended. Pour over Chex cereal in a large bowl, coating cereal well. Put 3/4 cup of confectioner's sugar in clean garbage bag. Add coated cereal to bag. Add 3/4 cup more of confectioner's sugar. Close bag tightly and carefully roll cereal in bag to coat with sugar. And...you've just made Trash! You can eat it right out of the bag or place it in a nice decorated jar. It makes great gifts for an office of people or for the kids to eat at a party.

Trash (?), n. [Cf. Icel. tros rubbish, leaves, and twigs picked up for fuel, trassi a slovenly fellow, Sw. trasa a rag, tatter.]

1.

That which is worthless or useless; rubbish; refuse.

Who steals my purse steals trash. Shak.

A haunch of venison would be trash to a Brahmin. Landor.

2.

Especially, loppings and leaves of trees, bruised sugar cane, or the like.

⇒ In the West Indies, the decayed leaves and stems of canes are called field trash; the bruised or macerated rind of canes is called cane trash; and both are called trash.

B. Edwards.

3.

A worthless person.

[R.]

Shak.

4.

A collar, leash, or halter used to restrain a dog in pursuing game.

Markham.

Trash ice, crumbled ice mixed with water.

 

© Webster 1913.

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Trash, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Trashed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Trashing.]

1.

To free from trash, or worthless matter; hence, to lop; to crop, as to trash the rattoons of sugar cane.

B. Edwards.

2.

To treat as trash, or worthless matter; hence, to spurn, humiliate, or crush.

[Obs.]

3.

To hold back by a trash or leash, as a dog in pursuing game; hence, to retard, encumber, or restrain; to clog; to hinder vexatiously.

[R.]

Beau. & Fl.

<-- 4. To turn into trash, usu. maliciously; to destroy; vandalize. -->

 

© Webster 1913.

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Trash, v. i.

To follow with violence and trampling.

[R.]

The Puritan (1607).

 

© Webster 1913.