Nathan Hale
An asterisk ("*", see also splat, ASCII). Notionally, from "I regret that I have only one asterisk for my country!" ("life to give" -> "ass to risk" -> "asterisk"), a misquote of the famous remark uttered by Nathan Hale just before he was hanged. Hale was a (failed) spy for the rebels in the American War of Independence.
[Jargon File]Last updated: 1996-09-22
Nearby terms:
NAT ♦ Nathan Hale ♦ National Advanced Systems ♦ National Bureau of Standards
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