purple wire

from Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003)

purple wire
 n.

   [IBM] Wire installed by Field Engineers to work around problems
   discovered during testing or debugging. These are called `purple
   wires' even when (as is frequently the case) their actual physical
   color is yellow.... Compare {blue wire}, {yellow wire}, and {red
   wire}.

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

purple wire

   <jargon, hardware> Wire installed by {IBM} Field Engineers to
   work around problems discovered during testing or debugging.
   These are called "purple wires" even when (as is frequently
   the case) they are yellow.

   Compare {blue wire}, {yellow wire}, and {red wire}.

   (1995-04-11)

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