unwind the stack

2 definitions found

unwind the stack - Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (26 May 2007) :

  unwind the stack
  
     During the execution of a procedural language, one is said
     to "unwind the stack" from a called procedure up to a caller
     when one discards the stack frame and any number of frames
     above it, popping back up to the level of the given caller.
     In C this is done with "longjmp"/"setjmp", in Lisp
     with "throw/catch".  See also smash the stack.
  
     [Jargon File]
  

unwind the stack - Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003) :

  unwind the stack
   vi.
  
     1. [techspeak] During the execution of a procedural language, one is
     said to unwind the stack from a called procedure up to a caller when
     one discards the stack frame and any number of frames above it,
     popping back up to the level of the given caller. In C this is done
     with longjmp/setjmp, in LISP or C++ with throw/catch. See also smash the stack
     .
  
     2. People can unwind the stack as well, by quickly dealing with a
     bunch of problems: "Oh heck, let's do lunch. Just a second while I
     unwind my stack."