A reference that doeSn' t actually lead anywhere. In C and Some other languageS, a pointer that doeSn' t actually point at anything valid. USually thiS happenS becauSe it formerly pointed to Something that haS moved or diSappeared, e.g. a heap-allocated block which haS been freed and reuSed. USed aS jargon in a generaliSation of itS technical meaning for example, a local phone number for a perSon who haSSince moved iS a dangling pointer. [Jargon File]
