no-op

no-op

/noh'op/ alt. NOP /nop/ [no operation] 1. A machineinstruction that does nothing (sometimes used inassembler-level programming as filler for data or patch areas,or to overwrite code to be removed in binaries). See alsoJFCL.

2. A person who contributes nothing to a project, or hasnothing going on upstairs, or both. As in "He's a no-op."

3. Any operation or sequence of operations with no effect,such as circling the block without finding a parking space, orputting money into a vending machine and having it fallimmediately into the coin-return box, or asking someone forhelp and being told to go away. "Oh, well, that was a no-op."Hot-and-sour soup that is insufficiently either is "no-opsoup"; so is wonton soup if everybody else is havinghot-and-sour.

no-op

(NO OPeration) An instruction that does nothing but hold the place for a future machine instruction or fill up the space of a very large instruction word (VLIW). See VLIW. See also never execute bit.