plokta

/plok´t@/, v.

[acronym: Press Lots Of Keys To Abort] To press random keys in an attempt to get some response from the system. One might plokta when the abort procedure for a program is not known, or when trying to figure out if the system is just sluggish or really hung. Plokta can also be used while trying to figure out any unknown key sequence for a particular operation. Someone going into plokta mode usually places both hands flat on the keyboard and mashes them down, hoping for some useful response.

A slightly more directed form of plokta can often be seen in mail messages or Usenet articles from new users — the text might end with

^X^C
q
quit
:q
^C
end
x
exit
ZZ
^D
?
help

as the user vainly tries to find the right exit sequence, with the incorrect tries piling up at the end of the message….