grue

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Bailey
Great Grand Panjandrum
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Joined: Tue Mar 21, 2006 7:51 pm

grue

Postby Bailey » Wed Dec 27, 2006 11:35 pm

grue n. [from archaic English verb for `shudder', as with fear] The
grue was originated in the game Zork (Dave Lebling took the name from
Jack Vance's "Dying Earth" fantasies) and used in several other
Infocom games as a hint that you should perhaps look for a lamp, torch
or some type of light source. Wandering into a dark area would cause the
game to prompt you, "It is very dark. If you continue you are likely to
be eaten by a grue." If you failed to locate a light source within the
next couple of moves this would indeed be the case.

The grue, according to scholars of the Great Underground Empire, is a
sinister, lurking presence in the dark places of the earth. Its favorite
diet is either adventurers or enchanters, but its insatiable appetite is
tempered by its extreme fear of light. No grues have ever been seen by
the light of day, and only a few have been observed in their underground
lairs. Of those who have seen grues, few have survived their fearsome
jaws to tell the tale. Grues have sharp claws and fangs, and an
uncontrollable tendency to slaver and gurgle. They are certainly the
most evil-tempered of all creatures; to say they are touchy is a
dangerous understatement. "Sour as a grue" is a common expression, even
among grues themselves.

All this folklore is widely known among hackers.http://dict.die.net/grue/
mark while-I-like-the-word-D&D-leaves-me-out Bailey

Today is the first day of the rest of your life, Make the most of it...
kb









Perry
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 2306
Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:50 am
Location: Asheville, NC

Postby Perry » Thu Dec 28, 2006 11:56 am

And of course, this is related to gruesome.
gruesome
1570, from M.E. gruen "feel horror, shudder" (c.1300), possibly from M.Du. gruwen or M.L.G. gruwen "shudder with fear" (cf. Ger. grausam "cruel"), or from a Scand. source (cf. Dan. grusom "cruel," grue "to dread," though others hold that these are Low Ger. loan-words). One of the many Scottish words popularized in England by Scott's novels.
"Time is nature's way of keeping everything from happening all at once. Lately it hasn't been working."
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