overflow bit

1. A flag on some processors indicating an attempt to

calculate a result too large for the destination register to

hold.

2. More generally, an indication of any kind of capacity

overload condition. "Well, the Ada description was

baroque all right, but I could hack it OK until they got to

the exception handling ... that set my overflow bit."

3. The hypothetical bit that will be set if a hacker doesn't

get to make a trip to the Room of Porcelain Fixtures: "I'd

better process an internal interrupt before the overflow bit

gets set".

[Jargon File]