black art
NounWordNet 3.0
Noun (1)
- the belief in magical spells that harness occult forces or evil spirits to produce unnatural effects in the worldSynonyms: sorceryblack magicblack artnecromancy
Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)
Note: This name was given in the Middle Ages to necromancy, under the idea that the latter term was derived from niger black, instead of nekro`s, a dead person, and mantei`a, divination. --Wright. [1913 Webster]
Free On-line Dictionary of Computing
A collection of arcane, unpublished, and (by implication) mostly ad-hoc techniques developed for a particular application or systems area (compare black magic). VLSI design and compiler code optimisation were (in their beginnings) considered classic examples of black art; as theory developed they became deep magic, and once standard textbooks had been written, became merely heavy wizardry. The huge proliferation of formal and informal channels for spreading around new computer-related technologies during the last twenty years has made both the term "black art" and what it describes less common than formerly. See also voodoo programming. [Jargon File]
The Jargon File
[common] A collection of arcane, unpublished, and (by implication) mostly ad-hoc techniques developed for a particular application or systems area (compare black magic). VLSI design and compiler code optimization were (in their beginnings) considered classic examples of black art; as theory developed they became deep magic, and once standard textbooks had been written, became merely heavy wizardry. The huge proliferation of formal and informal channels for spreading around new computer-related technologies during the last twenty years has made both the term black art and what it describes less common than formerly. See also voodoo programming.