poke

Command in most dialects if BASIC used to store a value in memory. The most basic aspect of BASIC, along with peek. When the fledgling hacker has realized the limitations of BASIC but not yet moved on from the larval stage, the hacker often pupates and spends some time idly poking around in obscure memory locations, glimpsing a glittering world of machine code and generally getting very little real programming done. After some time the hacker-to-be becomes aware of assembler or MC and escapes its tough, sinewy chrysalis of interpreted HLL and emerges into a new world filled with endless possibilities for fandango on core and screen hacks.

1. A wallet; a handbag or purse; a roll of bills. 2. A pocket. 3. A fist blow. 4. To assault with fists.

- american underworld dictionary - 1950

Rollo was a little misleading with his definition of POKE. It is a Commodore BASIC command, but the command exists in many other programming languages and works on almost every type of computer architecture, not just a Commie.

Here's a fun story about the POKE command and it's amazing ability to destroy hardware. It's possible to set your monitor on fire with a single POKE if you're on a PET computer. Appartently you can change the screen size with POKE on PET computers. If you set the POKE value to zero then the computer would attempt to display the entire screen in a single pixel causing the phosphor in the monitor to catch on fire.

Source: alt.folklore.computers faq

Poke (?), n. Bot.

A large North American herb of the genus Phytolacca (P. decandra), bearing dark purple juicy berries; -- called also garget, pigeon berry, pocan, and pokeweed. The root and berries have emetic and purgative properties, and are used in medicine. The young shoots are sometimes eaten as a substitute for asparagus, and the berries are said to be used in Europe to color wine.

 

© Webster 1913.

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Poke, n. [AS. poca, poha, pohha; akin to Icel. poki, OD. poke, and perh. to E. pock; cf. also Gael.poca, and OF. poque. Cf. Pock, Pocket, Pouch.]

1.

A bag; a sack; a pocket.

"He drew a dial from his poke."

Shak.

They wallowed as pigs in a poke. Chaucer.

2.

A long, wide sleeve; -- called also poke sleeve

.

To buy a pig a poke (that is, in a bag), to buy a thing without knowledge or examination of it.

Camden.

 

© Webster 1913.

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Poke, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Poking.] [Cf. LG. poken to prick, pierce, thrust, pok a dagger, knife, D. pook, G. pocken to beat, also Ir. poc a blow, Gael. puc to push.]

1.

To thrust or push against or into with anything pointed; hence, to stir up; to excite; as, to poke a fire.

He poked John, and said "Sleepest thou ?" Chaucer.

2.

To thrust with the horns; to gore.

3. [From 5th Poke, 3.]

To put a poke on; as, to poke an ox.

[Colloq. U. S.]

To poke fun, to excite fun; to joke; to jest. [Colloq.] -- To poke fun at, to make a butt of; to ridicule. [Colloq.]

 

© Webster 1913.

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Poke, v. i.

To search; to feel one's way, as in the dark; to grope; as, to poke about.

A man must have poked into Latin and Greek. Prior.

 

© Webster 1913.

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Poke, n.

1.

The act of poking; a thrust; a jog; as, a poke in the ribs.

Ld. Lytton.

2.

A lazy person; a dawdler; also, a stupid or uninteresting person.

[Slang, U.S.]

Bartlett.

3.

A contrivance to prevent an animal from leaping or breaking through fences. It consists of a yoke with a pole inserted, pointed forward.

[U.S.]

Poke bonnet, a bonnet with a straight, projecting front.

 

© Webster 1913.