washing machine An old-style 14-inch in a floor-standing cabinet. So called because of the size of the cabinet and the "top-loading" access to the media packs - and, of course, they were always set on "spin cycle". The thick channel cables connecting these were called "". The washing-machine idiom transcends language barriers; it is even used in Russian hacker jargon. See also . (1995-02-15)
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