[very common; by analogy with proton/electron/neutron, but doubtless
reinforced after 1980 by the similarity to Douglas Adams's `Vogons';
see the Bibliography in Appendix C and note that Arthur Dent actually
mispronounces `Vogons' as `Bogons' at one point]
1. The elementary particle of bogosity (see {quantum bogodynamics}).
For instance, "the Ethernet is emitting bogons again" means that it
is broken or acting in an erratic or bogus fashion.
2. A query packet sent from a TCP/IP domain resolver to a root
server, having the reply bit set instead of the query bit.
3. Any bogus or incorrectly formed packet sent on a network.
4. By synecdoche, used to refer to any bogus thing, as in "I'd like
to go to lunch with you but I've got to go to the weekly staff
bogon".
5. A person who is bogus or who says bogus things. This was
historically the original usage, but has been overtaken by its
derivative senses 1--4. See also {bogosity}, {bogus}; compare
{psyton}, {fat electrons}, {magic smoke}.
The bogon has become the type case for a whole bestiary of nonce
particle names, including the `clutron' or `cluon' (indivisible
particle of cluefulness, obviously the antiparticle of the bogon) and
the futon (elementary particle of {randomness}, or sometimes of
lameness). These are not so much live usages in themselves as
examples of a live meta-usage: that is, it has become a standard joke
or linguistic maneuver to "explain" otherwise mysterious
circumstances by inventing nonce particle names. And these imply
nonce particle theories, with all their dignity or lack thereof (we
might note parenthetically that this is a generalization from "(bogus
particle) theories" to "bogus (particle theories)"!). Perhaps such
particles are the modern-day equivalents of trolls and wood-nymphs as
standard starting-points around which to construct explanatory myths.
Of course, playing on an existing word (as in the `futon') yields
additional flavor. Compare {magic smoke}.
[glossary]
[Reference(s) to this entry by made by: {bogus}{computron}{Dr. Fred Mbogo}{fat electrons}{psyton}{quantum bogodynamics}]