boa

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

boa
    n 1: a long thin fluffy scarf of feathers or fur [syn: {feather
         boa}, {boa}]
    2: any of several chiefly tropical constrictors with vestigial
       hind limbs

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Boa \Bo"a\ (b[=o]"[.a]), n.; pl. {Boas}. [L. boa a kind of water
   serpent. Perh. fr. bos an ox.]
   1. (Zool.) A genus of large American serpents, including the
      boa constrictor, the emperor boa of Mexico ({Boa
      imperator}), and the chevalier boa of Peru ({Boa eques}).
      [1913 Webster]

   Note: The name is also applied to related genera; as, the
         {dog-headed boa} ({Xiphosoma caninum}).
         [1913 Webster]

   2. A long, round fur tippet; -- so called from its
      resemblance in shape to the boa constrictor.
      [1913 Webster]

from Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003)

boa
 n.

   Any one of the fat cables that lurk under the floor in a {dinosaur
   pen}. Possibly so called because they display a ferocious life of
   their own when you try to lay them straight and flat after they have
   been coiled for some time. It is rumored within IBM that channel
   cables for the 370 are limited to 200 feet because beyond that length
   the boas get dangerous -- and it is worth noting that one of the major
   cable makers uses the trademark `Anaconda'.

from The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)

Basic Object Adapter
BOA

   <architecture> (BOA) Part of the {CORBA} architecture.

   [Details?]

   (2004-06-23)

from The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)

boa

   [IBM] Any one of the fat cables that lurk under the floor in a
   {dinosaur pen}.  Possibly so called because they display a
   ferocious life of their own when you try to lay them straight
   and flat after they have been coiled for some time.  It is
   rumored within IBM that channel cables for the 370 are limited
   to 200 feet because beyond that length the boas get dangerous
   --- and it is worth noting that one of the major cable makers
   uses the trademark "Anaconda".

   [{Jargon File}]