jargon A humourous term for the
token - the object
(notional or real) that gives its possessor (the "pumpking" or
the "pumpkineer") exclusive access to something, e.g. applying
is called a "patch pumpkin").
David Croy once told me once that at a previous job, there was
one tape drive and multiple systems that used it for backups.
But instead of some high-tech exclusion software, they used a
low-tech method to prevent multiple simultaneous backups: a
stuffed pumpkin. No one was allowed to make backups unless
they had the "backup pumpkin".
(1999-02-23)