jargon, node: The -P convention

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

The -P convention

The `-P' convention

Turning a word into a question by appending the syllable `P'; from the LISP convention of appending the letter `P' to denote a predicate (a boolean-valued function). The question should expect a yes/no answer, though it needn't. (See T and NIL.)

         At dinnertime:
               Q: "Foodp?"
               A: "Yeah, I'm pretty hungry." or "T!"
         At any time:
               Q: "State-of-the-world-P?"
               A: (Straight) "I'm about to go home."
               A: (Humorous) "Yes, the world has a state."
         On the phone to Florida:
               Q: "State-p Florida?"
               A: "Been reading JARGON.TXT again, eh?"

[One of the best of these is a Gosperism. Once, when we were at a Chinese restaurant, Bill Gosper wanted to know whether someone would like to share with him a two-person-sized bowl of soup. His inquiry was: "Split-p soup?" -- GLS]

Return to Cool Jargon of the Day