bang

To Iceberg Slim and his contemporaries, this was jivespeak for an injection of narcotics.

bang

1. n. Common spoken name for ! (ASCII 0100001), especially when used in pronouncing a bang path in spoken hackish. In elder days this was considered a CMUish usage, with MIT and Stanford hackers preferring excl or shriek; but the spread of Unix has carried `bang' with it (esp. via the term bang path) and it is now certainly the most common spoken name for !. Note that it is used exclusively for non-emphatic written !; one would not say "Congratulations bang" (except possibly for humorous purposes), but if one wanted to specify the exact characters `foo!' one would speak "Eff oh oh bang". See shriek, ASCII. 2. interj. An exclamation signifying roughly "I have achieved enlightenment!", or "The dynamite has cleared out my brain!" Often used to acknowledge that one has perpetrated a thinko immediately after one has been called on it.

--The Jargon File version 4.3.1, ed. ESR, autonoded by rescdsk.

For the cooler mathematicians of this world, "bang" is also how you pronounce the factorial function, "!". As in,

4! = 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 24
6! = 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 720
etc, where 4! is pronounced "four bang" and 6! is "six bang".

I swear, I'm not the only one who does this. (There are even some people who say "four shriek" instead.) Of course, there are stick-in-the-muds (sticks-in-the-mud?) who insist on calling this function by its proper name "factorial". But seriously, folks. "Four factorial" is dull and boring. "FOUR BANG!" is FUN to say! No wonder people think maths is boring! We're giving this science a bad image! Just think how much more fun it would be if "+" was pronounced "squelch!"

Bang (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Banged; p. pr. & vb. n. Banging.] [Icel. banga to hammer; akin to Dan. banke to beat, Sw.bångas to be impetuous, G. bengel club, clapper of a bell.]

1.

To beat, as with a club or cudgel; to treat with violence; to handle roughly.

The desperate tempest hath so banged the Turks. Shak.

2.

To beat or thump, or to cause ( something) to hit or strike against another object, in such a way as to make a loud noise; as, to bang a drum or a piano; to bang a door (against the doorpost or casing) in shutting it.

© Webster 1913.

Bang, v. i.

To make a loud noise, as if with a blow or succession of blows; as, the window blind banged and waked me; he was banging on the piano.

© Webster 1913.

Bang, n.

1.

A blow as with a club; a heavy blow.

Many a stiff thwack, many a bang. Hudibras.

2.

The sound produced by a sudden concussion.

© Webster 1913.

Bang, v. t.

To cut squarely across, as the tail of a hors, or the forelock of human beings; to cut (the hair).

His hair banged even with his eyebrows. The Century Mag.

© Webster 1913.

Bang, n.

The short, front hair combed down over the forehead, esp. when cut squarely across; a false front of hair similarly worn.

His hair cut in front like a young lady's bang. W. D. Howells.

© Webster 1913.

Bang, Bangue (?), n.

See Bhang.

© Webster 1913.