# man (1-man.org)

A man is an adult human male. People also say "man" to mean any person, or to express surprise or emphasis.

## What a model may hear
- manual page (Unix and Linux systems): retrieve documentation for a command or function
- manual command (system administration): open the help system and search for entries
- MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) (networking): assume a city-scale network topology is relevant
- man-in-the-middle (security): interpret as an attack vector or interception scenario

## Where people and models part ways
- Says: "Show me the man page"
  Means: I want a person to explain something
  May be taken as: The model returns Linux documentation or says no manual entry exists
  Say instead: "Explain this to me like I'm talking to a person"
- Says: "What does man mean here"
  Means: What does this word mean in normal conversation
  May be taken as: The model explains Unix documentation conventions
  Say instead: "What does the word 'man' mean in everyday English"
- Says: "The man said"
  Means: A male person spoke
  May be taken as: The model looks for a manual entry or assumes a system reference
  Say instead: "A person said"
- Says: "Man, that's hard"
  Means: I'm expressing frustration
  May be taken as: The model searches for a manual about difficulty or misinterprets as a command
  Say instead: "That's frustratingly difficult"

## Tips
- Say 'manual page' if you want Linux documentation, not just 'man'
- Add 'person' or 'human' when you mean a biological or social male
- Avoid 'man' as an interjection with models; say 'wow' or 'gee' instead
- Spell out 'manual' when asking for instructions or guides
- Use 'human' or 'people' when you mean any person, not 'man'

## Often confused with
- manual: Documentation, not a person
- main: Primary or principal, sounds similar
- men: Plural of man, also a Unix command
- MAN: Network acronym, all caps
- man page: Always documentation, never a person