woofer definition

<jargon> (University of Waterloo) Some varieties of wide paper for printers have a perforation 8.5 inches from the left margin that allows the 3.5 inch excess on the right-hand side to be torn off when the print format is 80 columns or less wide. If done with sufficient aplomb this makes a sound like the "woof" of a dog. If the large part is the "woofer" then the small part must obviously be the "tweeter", following the names for the large and small cones in a hi-fi loudspeaker.

These terms have been in use at Waterloo since 1972, but are unknown elsewhere.

Compare: chad.

(01 Mar 1997)