frobbing

frobbing
v.
Randomly adjusting the settings of an object, such as the dials on a piece of equipment or the options in a software program, in an effort to learn how the object works.
Example Citation:
"Why is babbling so important? The infant is like a person who has been given a complicated piece of audio equipment bristling with unlabeled knobs and switches but missing the instruction manual. In such situations people resort to what hackers call frobbing — fiddling aimlessly with the controls to see what happens."
— Steven Pinker, The Language Instinct
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New words. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Frob — The term Frob has typically been used to refer to any small device or object (usually hand sized) which can be manipulated, or frobbed . It was adopted by the community of computer programmers which grew out of the MIT Tech Model Railroad Club in …   Wikipedia

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  • frob — an unsepcified physical object, generally small. synonymous with widget. also a verb, genearlly any action performed on a frob can be considered frobbing the object. It has a frob for controlling the pressure. (verb) I need to frob the volume… …   Dictionary of american slang

  • frob — an unsepcified physical object, generally small. synonymous with widget. also a verb, genearlly any action performed on a frob can be considered frobbing the object. It has a frob for controlling the pressure. (verb) I need to frob the volume… …   Dictionary of american slang

  • frobnicate —  Manipulate or adjust.  ► “ If someone is turning a knob on an oscilloscope, then if he’s carefully adjusting it he is probably tweaking; if he is just turning it but looking at the screen he is probably twiddling it; but if he is just doing it… …   American business jargon

  • frob (to) —  Manipulate or adjust.  ► “ If someone is turning a knob on an oscilloscope, then if he’s carefully adjusting it he is probably tweaking; if he is just turning it but looking at the screen he is probably twiddling it; but if he is just doing it… …   American business jargon

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