Source : WordNet®

shortcut
     n : a route shorter than the usual one [syn: {cutoff}, {crosscut}]

Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

shortcut
     
         {Microsoft Corporation}'s term for a {symbolic
        link}, stored as a file with extension ".lnk".  Shortcuts
        first appeared in 1996 in the {Windows 95} {operating system}.
        Windows shortcuts can link to any file or directory
        ("folder"), including those on remote computers, using {UNC}
        paths.  Each shortcut can also have its own {icon}.  A
        shortcut that links to an executable file can pass {arguments}
        and specify the directory in which the command should run.
        Unlike a {Unix} {symbolic link}, a shortcut does not always
        behave exactly like the target file or directory.
     
        Compare {pif}.
     
        (2001-12-18)