Langford's basilisk en · NOUN
Etymology
After an object in David Langford's short story BLIT (1988).
Meanings
-
An image which causes insanity or death upon viewing.
The technical term is "Langford basilisk". I expect the real deal would induce nothing more permanent than an inconveniently-timed reboot, if it can even exist.
2013 December 29, RecArtsSfPolicyWonk, “What Did You Watch? 2013-12-29 (Saturday)”, in rec.arts.tv (Usenet), message-ID <w3nrp8vuk7cz.m05n26piatio$.dlg@40tude.net>:Dead easy: the ones who watched it all died. (Invoke Langford's Basilisk if you need a real reason.)
2002 February 27, Charles Stross, “What to throw in?”, in rec.arts.sf.composition (Usenet), message-ID <slrna7qjct.sdj.charlie@raq981.uk2net.com.antipope.org>:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Langford's basilisks | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| Langford basilisk | alternative | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Hypernyms
cognitohazard · hazard · danger · basilisk