bounce message

A notification message returned to the sender by a site unable

to relay e-mail to the intended recipient or the next link

in a bang path. Reasons might include a nonexistent or

misspelled user name or a down relay site. Bounce messages

can themselves fail, with occasionally ugly results; see

sorcerer's apprentice mode and software laser. The terms

"bounce mail" and "barfmail" are also common.

[Jargon File]

(1994-11-29)