grue

   [from  archaic  English  verb for shudder, as with fear] The grue was
   originated  in  the game {Zork} (Dave Lebling took the name from Jack
   Vance's  Dying  Earth  fantasies) and used in several other {Infocom}
   games  as  a  hint  that you should perhaps look for a lamp, torch or
   some type of light source. Wandering into a dark area would cause the
   game  to prompt you, "It is very dark. If you continue you are likely
   to be eaten by a grue." If you failed to locate a light source within
   the next couple of moves this would indeed be the case.

   The grue, according to scholars of the Great Underground Empire, is a
   sinister,  lurking  presence  in  the  dark  places of the earth. Its
   favorite diet is either adventurers or enchanters, but its insatiable
   appetite is tempered by its extreme fear of light. No grues have ever
   been  seen  by the light of day, and only a few have been observed in
   their  underground  lairs.  Of  those  who  have seen grues, few have
   survived  their  fearsome  jaws  to  tell the tale. Grues have sickly
   glowing  fur,  fish-mouthed  faces,  sharp  claws  and  fangs, and an
   uncontrollable  tendency to slaver and gurgle. They are certainly the
   most  evil-tempered  of  all  creatures;  to say they are touchy is a
   dangerous  understatement.  "Sour  as a grue" is a common expression,
   even among grues themselves.

   All this folklore is widely known among hackers.

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