Spam

Spam

Spam originally referred to Spam (food), a canned meat product sold by the Hormel Foods Corporation. Since then, many other uses of the term have emerged.
* Spam (Monty Python), a Monty Python comedy sketch. The "Spam" in the sketch refers specifically to the meat. Most later uses of "spam" refer in one way or another to undesirable repetition, and this sketch is considered to be the most likely source of such uses of the term.

Uses referring to repetition

* Spam (electronic), unsolicited or undesired bulk electronic messages. There are many types of electronic spam, including
**E-mail spam, unsolicited e-mail
**Mobile phone spam, unsolicited text messages
**Forum spam, posting advertisements or useless posts on a forum
**Spamdexing, manipulating a search engine to create the illusion of popularity for webpages
**Spam in blogs, posting random comments and random tips/ideas or promoting commercial services to blogs, wikis, guestbooks
**Newsgroup spam, advertisements and forgery on newsgroups
**Messaging spam ("SPIM"), use of instant messenger services for advertisement or even extortion
* Spam (computer game), to repeatedly use one weapon or tactic. This term is based on the technological meaning of "undesired bulk electronic message"
* Flyposting ("street spam"), illegal blanket advertising in public places

Uses in songs

At least two songs named "Spam" have been released, neither of which has any connection to either the Monty Python sketch nor to the electronic uses of the term that came afterwards. Both are about the original meat product.
* Spam (song), a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of "Stand" by R.E.M.
* "Spam" was a song on the album "It Means Everything" by the ska band Save Ferris


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Spam — /spam/, n., v., spammed, spamming. 1. Trademark. a canned food product consisting esp. of pork formed into a solid block. n. 2. (l.c.) a disruptive message posted on a computer network. v.t. 3. (l.c.) to send spam to. v.i. 4. (l.c.) to send spam …   Universalium

  • SPAM — steht für: Dosenfleisch der Firma Hormel Foods Inc., siehe Spam (Lebensmittel) Spam, im Sinne von massenhaftem Versand von elektronischen Nachrichten Spam Sketch Fliegendes Spaghettimonster, The Spaghetti Pulsar Activating Meatballs, die Gottheit …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Spam — 419 scam address munging bacn disk spamming e mail hygiene empty spam glurge ham …   New words

  • spam — n. Unsolicited emails sent to large numbers of email addresses in the hope of enticing some readers to respond. The Essential Law Dictionary. Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell. 2008. spam …   Law dictionary

  • Spam — son mensajes electrónicos (habitualmente de tipo publicitario) no solicitados enviados en cantidades masivas. Aunque se puede hacer por distintas vías, la más utilizada entre el público en general es la basada en el correo electrónico. Otras… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Spam — [spæm] das; s, s <aus gleichbed. engl. amerik. spam, urspr. Spam®, Kurzw. für »spiced ham«. Der Name des Büchsenfleischs wurde von US Soldaten des 2. Weltkrieges später abwertend gebraucht für etwas, was man nicht leiden kann. >: a) zu… …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

  • Spam — Spam; spam; spam·mer; …   English syllables

  • spam — [spam] n. [prob. ult. < SPAM] Comput. unsolicited e mail, often advertisements, sent out over a computer network to many addresses, usually indiscriminately vt., vi. spammed, spamming to send such e mail to (a user or users) …   English World dictionary

  • Spam® — /spam/ noun A type of luncheon meat made from pork, spices, etc ORIGIN: Spiced ham • • • spammˈy adjective 1. Tasting of, containing or like spam or luncheon meat 2. Loosely, bland, unexciting, corny (informal) …   Useful english dictionary

  • spam — (n.) proprietary name registered by Geo. A. Hormel & Co. in U.S., 1937; probably a conflation of spiced ham. Soon extended to other kinds of canned meat. In the sense of Internet junk mail it was coined by Usenet users after March 31, 1993, when… …   Etymology dictionary

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