[woo
f-er] 
| a loudspeaker designed for the reproduction of low-frequency sounds. |
| woof·er (wŏŏf'ər) n. A loudspeaker designed to reproduce bass frequencies. [From woof2.] |
woofer jargon
(University of Waterloo) Some varieties of wide paper for printers have a perforation 8.5 inches from the left margin that allows the 3.5 inch excess on the right-hand side to be torn off when the print format is 80 columns or less wide. If done with sufficient aplomb this makes a sound like the "woof" of a dog. If the large part is the "woofer" then the small part must obviously be the "tweeter", following the names for the large and small cones in a hi-fi loudspeaker.
These terms have been in use at Waterloo since 1972, but are unknown elsewhere.
Compare chad.
[The Jargon File]
(1997-03-21)