Yak Shaving
/jæk ˈʃeɪvɪŋ/yak shav·ingnoun
Definition
1.[in programming] the state of working through a chain of unplanned prerequisite tasks, each apparently necessary for the last, so far from the original goal that the connection is no longer obvious.
Fixing one broken import turned into six hours of yak shaving.
Etymology
Coined by Carlin Vieri at the MIT AI Lab in the 1990s, after an episode of the animated series Ren & Stimpy involving a shaved yak. The phrase entered wider use through Jeremy Zawodny's weblog in 2005.
Synonyms
- incidental complexitysense 1 · Near