While I'm still working on my site, probably let's just go for something light but yet still technologically related (somewhat).
Anyway, I have been browsing through MacMillian English Dictionary's website (which happens to be my favourite paperback dictionary site ;) ) and I found this interesting word of the month:
banana problemnoun
a situation of uncertainty about when a task is complete and therefore when to stop working on it
The term banana problem is often used in computing when talking about badly written or incorrect conditions for the termination of a computer program. It has also been applied in website development, referring to a situation in which a designer adds so many different features that the whole thing looks messy, for example: ‘If you insist on adding that video clip, I’m afraid we’re going to have a real banana problem on our hands.’
Background
The term originates from the story of a little girl who said ‘I know how to spell 'banana', but I don’t know when to stop!’
In the computing world reference is often made to a one-banana problem, a phrase which looks similar but in fact has a completely different meaning. This term derives from the idea that those with less-skilled jobs in the IT industry, such as computer operators, can be compared to monkeys, and incentives given to monkeys (bananas) can be used to describe the level of difficulty of a task. A one-banana problem is therefore the simplest, for example: ‘It’s only a one-banana job’. In contrast, two- and three-banana problems would constitute more complex activities.
Copyright notice
This article was originally published in the award-winning MED Magazine, Macmillan's free monthly webzine for everyone who's passionate about English, words and dictionaries.
For more information about new and topical words and phrases, read Kerry's Word of the Week articles on the MED Resource Site.
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