spike
<jargon> To defeat a selection mechanism by introducing a (sometimes
temporary) device that forces a specific result. The word is used in several
industries; telephone engineers refer to spiking a relay by inserting a pin to
hold the relay in either the closed or open state, and railroaders refer to
spiking a track switch so that it cannot be moved. In programming environments
it normally refers to a temporary change, usually for testing purposes (as
opposed to a permanent change, which would be called hard-coded).
(1999-10-18)
Nearby terms:
spider « Spiderweb « spiffy « spike » spill »
spin » spiral model
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