bit bucket

1 8.9

An imaginary place where lost or deleted computer data goes

noun

Jargon

: cubo de bits

After the power outage, my entire project went straight to the bit bucket.

Examples

Any errors in the transmission will send the data into the bit bucket.
All the deleted files went to the bit bucket.
He joked that all his unsaved changes are now in the bit bucket.
I accidentally sent my work to the bit bucket!
After I pressed send, my email seemed to disappear into the bit bucket.
If you forget to save your work, it might end up in the bit bucket.
When the server crashed, several important files were lost to the bit bucket.

Synonyms

nul

vsbit bucket

Specialized

1 9.9

A part of the computer that throws away any data sent to it

is an imagined destination for lost data rather than an actual system device

the great bit bucket in the sky

vsbit bucket

Jargon

9.9

A joking idea that deleted digital files are gone forever

is the general imagined place for discarded data, not especially joking

Surface Forms

bit bucket singular

bit buckets plural

Morphology

bit + bucket

The compound combines 'bit' (a unit of digital information) with 'bucket' (a container), so its meaning as a notional container or disposal place for bits/data is directly inferable from the constituents. The metaphor (treating discarded data as items put into a container) parallels everyday language for trash or storage and is common in computing, so a learner who knows the words can readily understand it.

Etymology

The noun bit bucket may come from a simple image: tiny pieces of data—bits—falling into a trash bucket when they are lost or deleted. That's why people use it to mean 'where lost or discarded data goes'.