balloonian variable

1 definition found

balloonian variable - Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003) :

  balloonian variable
   n.
  
     [Commodore users; perh. a deliberate phonetic mangling of boolean
     variable?] Any variable that doesn't actually hold or control state,
     but must nevertheless be declared, checked, or set. A typical
     balloonian variable started out as a flag attached to some
  environment
     feature that either became obsolete or was planned but never
     implemented. Compatibility concerns (or politics attached to same)
  may
     require that such a flag be treated as though it were live.