casters-up mode

[IBM, probably from slang belly up] Yet another synonym for

"broken" or "down". Usually connotes a major failure. A

system (hardware or software) which is "down" may be already

being restarted before the failure is noticed, whereas one

which is "casters up" is usually a good excuse to take the

rest of the day off (as long as you're not responsible for

fixing it).

[Jargon File]