nathan hale
NounWordNet 3.0
Noun (1)
- a soldier of the American Revolution who was hanged as a spy by the British; his last words were supposed to have been `I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country' (1755-1776)Synonyms: HaleNathan Hale
Free On-line Dictionary of Computing
Nathan Hale
<character> An asterisk ("*", see also splat, ASCII). Notionally, from "I regret that I have only one asterisk for my country!" ("life to give" -> "ass to risk" -> "asterisk"), a misquote of the famous remark uttered by Nathan Hale just before he was hanged. Hale was a (failed) spy for the rebels in the American War of Independence. [Jargon File]
(1996-09-22)
The Jargon File
Nathan Hale n.
An asterisk (see also splat, ASCII). Oh, you want an etymology? Notionally, from “I regret that I have only one asterisk for my country!”, a misquote of the famous remark uttered by Nathan Hale just before he was hanged. Hale was a (failed) spy for the rebels in the American War of Independence.