roach
Noun · VerbOpen English WordNet
Noun (5)roaches
- a roll of hair brushed back from the foreheadType of hairdo, hairstyle
- the butt of a marijuana cigaretteType of butt, stub
- street names for flunitrazepamSynonyms: R-2Mexican valiumrophyroperoofyforget me drugcircleType of flunitrazepam, Rohypnol
- any of numerous chiefly nocturnal insects; some are domestic pestsSynonyms: cockroachType of dictyopterous insectKinds American cockroach, German cockroach, oriental cockroach, giant cockroach, Australian cockroachMember of Blattodea, suborder Blattodea
- European freshwater food fish having a greenish backSynonyms: Rutilus rutilusType of cyprinid, cyprinid fishMember of Rutilus, genus Rutilus
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Zoology A cockroach.
Origin: OE. rroche; cf. AS. reohha, D. rog, roch, G. roche, LG. ruche, Dan. rokke ray, Sw. rocka, and E. ray a fish.
1. Zoology (a) A European fresh-water fish of the Carp family (Leuciscus rutilus). It is silver-white, with a greenish back. (b) An American chub (Semotilus bullaris); the fallfish. (c) The redfin, or shiner.
2. Nautical A convex curve or arch cut in the edge of a sail to prevent chafing, or to secure a better fit.
As sound as a roach , perfectly sound.
1. To cause to arch.
2. To cut off, as a horse's mane, so that the part left shall stand upright.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54
Free On-line Dictionary of Computing
<jargon> A Bell Labs term meaning destroy, especially of a data structure. Hardware gets toasted or fried, software gets roached. [Why?] [Jargon File]
(1999-02-08)
The Jargon File
[Bell Labs] To destroy, esp. of a data structure. Hardware gets toasted or fried, software gets roached. Probably derived from '70s and '80s drug slang; marijuana smokers used ‘roach’ to refer to the unsmokable remnant of a joint, and to ‘roach’ a joint was therefore to destroy it.