Unwind the stack

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The Jargon File Parts of this article are based on the Jargon File, v. 4.4.7, a public domain document of hacker jargon.

unwind the stack

Usage: vi. Derivation: Techspeak See Also: smash the stack

unwind the stack: vi.

1. [techspeak] During the execution of a procedural language, one is said to unwind the stack from a called procedure up to a caller when one discards the stack frame and any number of frames above it, popping back up to the level of the given caller. In C this is done with longjmp/setjmp, in LISP or C++ with throw/catch. See also smash the stack.
2. People can unwind the stack as well, by quickly dealing with a bunch of problems: "Oh heck, let's do lunch. Just a second while I unwind my stack."

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