[syn: show-stopper, showstopper]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
showstopper
n 1: an act so striking or impressive that the show must be
delayed until the audience quiets down [syn: show-
stopper, showstopper, stopper]
2: something that is strikingly attractive or has great popular
appeal; "she has a show-stopper of a smile"; "the brilliant
orange flowers against the green foliage were a showstopper"
[syn: show-stopper, showstopper]
The Jargon File (version 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003):
showstopper
n.
A hardware or (especially) software bug that makes an implementation
effectively unusable; one that absolutely has to be fixed before
development can go on. Opposite in connotation from its original theatrical
use, which refers to something stunningly good.
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):
showstopper
A hardware or (especially) software bug that makes an
implementation effectively unusable; one that absolutely has
to be fixed before development can go on. Opposite in
connotation from its original theatrical use, which refers to
something stunningly *good*.
[Jargon File]
(1995-01-31)