I like the phrase "hugged to death" as a more generic version of "slashdotted" personally. It's a shame but /. is no longer the web powerhouse that it used to be, though I still read it regularly just because it will sometimes have stories and things I don't otherwise find in places like reddit or hn.

agreed!

Contrary to popular belief, HN traffic is not as huge as people think for the hug of death. Its the reddit traffic, when people either repost or post at both places. HN can barely send 5 users per second, which can surely be handled by a potato.