Source : WordNet®

Nathan Hale
     n : a soldier of the American Revolution who was hanged as a spy
         by the British; his last words were supposed to have been
         `I only regret that I have but one life to give for my
         country' (1755-1776) [syn: {Hale}]

Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

Nathan Hale
     
         An asterisk ("*", see also {splat}, {ASCII}).
        Notionally, from "I regret that I have only one asterisk for
        my country!" ("life to give" -> "ass to risk" -> "asterisk"),
        a misquote of the famous remark uttered by Nathan Hale just
        before he was hanged.  Hale was a (failed) spy for the rebels
        in the American War of Independence.
     
        [{Jargon File}]
     
        (1996-09-22)