boa

   Any  one  of  the fat cables that lurk under the floor in a {dinosaur
   pen}.  Possibly  so  called  because they display a ferocious life of
   their  own when you try to lay them straight and flat after they have
   been  coiled  for  some  time.  It is rumored within IBM that channel
   cables for the 370 are limited to 200 feet because beyond that length
   the  boas  get  dangerous  --  and it is worth noting that one of the
   major cable makers uses the trademark `Anaconda'.

[glossary]
[Reference(s) to this entry by made by: {dinosaur pen}]