When a fatal error occurs (esp. a {segfault}) the immediate cause may
be that a pointer has been trashed due to a previous {fandango on
core}. However, this fandango may have been due to an earlier
fandango, so no amount of analysis will reveal (directly) how the
damage occurred. "The data structure was clobbered, but it was
secondary damage." By extension, the corruption resulting from N
cascaded fandangoes on core is `Nth-level damage'. There is at least
one case on record in which 17 hours of {grovel}ling with adb
actually dug up the underlying bug behind an instance of
seventh-level damage! The hacker who accomplished this
near-superhuman feat was presented with an award by his fellows.
[glossary]
[Reference(s) to this entry by made by: {overrun screw}]