weeds

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

weeds
    n 1: a black garment (dress) worn by a widow as a sign of
         mourning [syn: {weeds}, {widow's weeds}]

from Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003)

weeds
 n.

   1. Refers to development projects or algorithms that have no possible
   relevance or practical application. Comes from `off in the weeds'.
   Used in phrases like "lexical analysis for microcode is serious
   weeds...."

   2. At CDC/ETA before its demise, the phrase go off in the weeds was
   equivalent mainstream hackerdom's {jump off into never-never land}.

from The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)

weeds

   1. Refers to development projects or {algorithms} that have no
   possible relevance or practical application.  Comes from "off
   in the weeds".  Used in phrases like "lexical analysis for
   {microcode} is serious weeds."

   2. At {CDC}/{ETA} before its demise, the phrase "go off in the
   weeds" was equivalent to {IBM}'s {branch to Fishkill} and
   mainstream hackerdom's {jump off into never-never land}.

   [{Jargon File}]

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