title: What does &variable as a expression mean in c
body: <p>this is the snippet of a program code :</p>
  
  <pre><code> char authenticated = 0;
   char guard1 = 234;
   char guard2 = 234;
   //more variables initliased...
   char buf[128];
  
   &amp;authenticated;
   &amp;guard1;
   &amp;guard2;
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>So what does it mean when the reference stands there as a single expression in the program code?</p>
  
  <p><strong>Edit</strong>: More Context : It's compiled with gcc on a debian server and it's related to a security project, where you can overflow the buf array.</p>