Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!mintaka!bloom-beacon!eru!hagbard!sunic!mcsun!ukc!mucs!jk
From: jk@cs.man.ac.uk (John Kewley ICL)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.functional
Subject: Re: thunk's
Message-ID: <2444@m1.cs.man.ac.uk>
Date: 23 Apr 91 13:16:49 GMT
References: <1151@creatures.cs.vt.edu>
Sender: news@cs.man.ac.uk
Reply-To: jk@cs.man.ac.uk (John Kewley ICL)
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Manchester UK
Lines: 18

In article <1151@creatures.cs.vt.edu> lavinus@csgrad.cs.vt.edu () writes:
>Hi out there!
>
>I have a question that has been nagging me for quite some time: why do we
>call closures "thunk"s?  I mean, where did that word come from?  The only
>two theories I've heard, neither with *any* supporting evidence, are that
>it is an anagram for Knuth, and that perhaps it is a facetious past tense
>of "think".  Anyone know??

and, are they they the same as wigglies (what is the derivation of
this term?).


--
        J.K.
 
John M. Kewley, ICL, Wenlock Way, West Gorton, Manchester. M12 5DR
Tel:   (+44) 61 223 1301 X2138  Email: jk@cs.man.ac.uk / jk@nw.stl.stc.co.uk