Vulcan neck pinch

In the fictional Star Trek universe, the Vulcan nerve pinch is a technique used by Vulcans to render other humanoids unconscious by pinching the base of their neck. The technique was introduced in the original series when the script called for Mr. Spock to 'pistol whip' another character. However, it was felt that this was contrary to the character established for Spock at that time, and therefore Leonard Nimoy invented the non-lethal nerve pinch. As the series progressed, the technique was seen to be widely known amongst Vulcans; however, most other species seemed strangely unable to master it. Notable exceptions are Commander Data, who was able to use the nerve pinch on Commander Sela after observing Spock use a nerve pinch on another Romulan, and Jean-Luc Picard, who most likely acquired the skill during his mind-meld with Sarek.

It is also hacker slang for a keyboard combination used to reboot or otherwise interrupt a computer. A common example of this is Control-Alt-Delete for IBM PCs. See also three finger salute.