title: What happens to a modified file when using "git checkout"?
body: <p>I was simply trying out a few things on a project and wanted to delete some modified files I was working with but no longer needed.</p>
  
  <p>I got careless and typed <code>git checkout file</code> instead of <code>git checkout -- file</code>. So essentially I was just checking out this modified file and I have no clue where that modified file went off to. </p>
  
  <p>I've tried using <code>git update-index --fresh</code> just to try and see where this modified file could have gone but it seems like it may have been deleted in the end? </p>
  
  <pre><code>    modified:   test/ssc_test/cmod_tcsdirect_steam_test.cpp
      modified:   test/ssc_test/cmod_tcsfresnel_molten_salt_test.cpp
      modified:   test/ssc_test/cmod_tcsmolten_salt_test.cpp
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>These were the files I was trying to get rid of but forgot to add the <code>--</code> to get rid of one of the edited files. </p>
  
  <p>After checking out this file, instead of deleting it, it gave me the message, <code>Updated 1 path from the index</code> and it was no longer displayed along with the other modified files when using <code>git status</code>.</p>
  
  <p>I'm pretty clueless with what happened exactly. Was it was deleted or hidden somewhere in the index, or something else?</p>