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Blow an EPROM

/bloh *n ee'prom/
v. (alt. 'blast an EPROM', 'burn an EPROM') To program a read-only memory, e.g. for use with an embedded system. This term arises because the programming process for the Programmable Read-Only Memories (PROMs) that preceded present-day Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memories (EPROMs) involved intentionally blowing tiny electrical fuses on the chip. Thus, one was said to 'blow' (or 'blast') a PROM, and the terminology carried over even though the write process on EPROMs is nondestructive.