tree-killer

tree-killer definition

jargon, abuse
(Sun) 1. A printer.
2. A person who wastes paper. This epithet should be interpreted in a broad sense; "wasting paper" includes the production of spiffy but content-free documents. Thus, most suits are tree-killers.
This term may derive from J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" (http://sf.www.lysator.liu.se/sf_archive/sf-texts/SF_resource_guide/sfrgft.htm). in which Treebeard the Ent uses it to refer to the orcs' master, Saruman of Isengard. Saruman represents, among other things, technology at its most misguided.
See also: dead tree.
[Jargon File]
(1999-11-03)