[1] : Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001)

hosed adj. same as down. used primarily by unix hackers. humorous:
   also implies a condition thought to be relatively easy to reverse.
   probably derived from the canadian slang `hoser' popularized by the bob
   and doug mackenzie skits on sctv, but this usage predated sctv by years
   in hackerdom it was certainly already live at cmu in the 1970s. see
   hose. it is also widely used of people in the mainstream sense of `in
   an extremely unfortunate situation'.

   once upon a time, a cray that had been experiencing periodic
   difficulties crashed, and it was announced to have been hosed. it was
   discovered that the crash was due to the disconnection of some coolant
   hoses. the problem was corrected, and users were then assured that
   everything was ok because the system had been rehosed. see also
   dehose.


see also:
down hose dehose 

[2] : The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03)

hosed
     
         a somewhat humorous variant of "down", used
        primarily by unix hackers.  "hosed" implies a condition
        thought to be relatively easy to reverse.  it is also widely
        used of people in the mainstream sense of "in an extremely
        unfortunate situation".  the term was popularised by fighter
        pilots refering to being hosed by machine gun fire date?.
        usage in hackerdom dates back to cmu in the 1970s or
        earlier.
     
        "acronyms and abbreviations" from ucc, ireland
        http://www.ucc.ie/cgi-bin/acronym expands it as "hardware
        or software error detected", though this is probably a
        back-formation.
     
        the jargon file version 4.1.4 1999-06-17 says that it was
        probably derived from the canadian slang "hoser" meaning "a
        man, esp. one who works at a job that uses physical rather
        than mental skills and whose habits are slightly offensive but
        amusing".
     
        one correspondant speculates about an allusion to a hose-like
        body part.
     
        once upon a time, a cray that had been experiencing periodic
        difficulties crashed, and it was announced to have been hosed.
        it was discovered that the crash was due to the disconnection
        of some coolant hoses.  the problem was corrected, and users
        were then assured that everything was ok because the system
        had been rehosed.  see also dehose.
     
        see also: hose.
     
        1999-10-28
     
     
see also:
down unix hackers cmu lt;"acronyms and abbreviations" from ucc, irelandgt; jargon file 
cray dehose hose 

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