reinvent the wheel
<jargon> To design or implement a tool equivalent to an existing one or
part of one, with the implication that doing so is silly or a waste of time.
This is often a valid criticism. On the other hand, automobiles don't use wooden
rollers, and some kinds of wheel have to be reinvented many times before you get
them right. On the third hand, people reinventing the wheel do tend to come up
with the moral equivalent of a trapezoid with an offset axle.
[Jargon File]
(1997-04-12)
Nearby terms:
Reid, Brian « reify « reincarnation, cycle of «
reinvent the wheel » relation » relational
algebra » relational calculus
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