A fitting and catchy phrase for the [{*}] syntax element, used to indicate the [{expand}] functionality.

   * '''polyphemus operator''': Jeff Hobbs from the trenches [http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.tcl/msg/f0bdbab37e3c722e]

From the same thread:  

   * '''wart''': Mark Roseman [http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.tcl/msg/04010849eb364702]

On the [{*}] page, [JMN] suggests:

   * '''nipple''': "which is clearly better than a wart"

Since I asked the question and wondering now, why this seems to be an unsolved problem: My [stk] two suggestions are:

   * '''bellybutton''': Because that's, what it looks like...
   * '''Deeper Meaning of...''': Comming from Douglas Adams "The Deeper Meaning of Liff", where he invented all the until then unknown words for the actions and things we all know, but have no word for. It also somehow matches the functionality of [{*}], since it gets up the deeper meaning of what it follows, and for '''{*}$var''' you can say '''The deeper meaning of $var''', which is, what it is...

[slebetman]: Why not the most obvious: the '''expansion operator'''.

[AM] Too prozaic :) I suggest: '''accolade'''. My reasons: the sign { is called an accolade in Dutch, but more importantly 
the word of old is the name of some intricate dance from the French court, elegant yet complicated.

[stk] ...and because of [Tcl Marketing discussion]...

[EKB] I like prosaic. "Expansion operator" sounds good to me. It says what it does, and will make sense to programmers from other languages. It could ''also'' be called the "Polyphemus operator." Something like this: "Oh, that? It's an expansion operator. Because it looks like an eye, it was officially named 'Polyphemus', after the cyclops." ("Wart" and "nipple" made me laugh, but I'd rather not have to use that when introducing people to Tcl!)

   * '''explode''': descriptive because something which was one piece breaks into multiple pieces, and it looks like a little explosion - [Colin Macleod].


[MG] also likes "expansion operator" (especially given that {*} used to be {expand}, if only for a brief time), though "explode" is the name used for similar things in PHP, and I believe some other languages, too.

[TJK] If you like cute names then how about '''splat''' (a common name for "*"), other wise I would vote for '''expansion trigraph'''.
[stk] As a technical term, I like '''expansion trigraph''', but it's very C-centric and it's not a "cool name" for non-Tclers.

[LV] How about '''scream'''? The {*} reminds me of a famous painting [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scream]...
[stk] '''Scream''' is brilliant... [EKB] I agree. Or it could be the '''Munch Operator'''. It sounds like it came from some deep computation-theoretical source, but actually it's the painter of The Scream!

''[escargo]'' - How about '''reveal''' (or the somewhat more risque, '''disrobe''')?

[stk] How will this go on, does someone "close" the time for new entries in the poll after a week or so and then start a vote or something?

[LV] Since this isn't an ''official'' function, it will go on until the community in general sees a term that they like and start using it...

[stk] Sure, I know that. I just thought... since it was announced as a "poll" not as a "hanging around discussion", I would expect, that someone actually polls... ;-)

[LV] I guess, from the poll point of view, someone could summarize the results here at the bottom, with people updating as they vote on existing names or add new ones...
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