*wildcard for any string (see also [UNX])?wildcard for any single character (generally read this way only at the beginning or in the middle of a word)delimits a wildcard matching any of the enclosed characters{}alternation of comma-separated alternatives; thus, `foo{baz,qux}' would be read as `foobaz' or `fooqux'
Some examples: "He said his name was [KC]arl" (expresses ambiguity). "I don't read talk.politics.*" (any of the talk.politics subgroups on [Usenet]). Other examples are given under the entry for [X]. Note that glob patterns are similar, but not identical, to those used in [regexp]s.
Historical note: The jargon usage derives from glob, the name of a subprogram that expanded wildcards in archaic pre-Bourne versions of the Unix shell.
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