rat dance

rat dance
 n.

   [From the {Dilbert} comic strip of November 14, 1995] A {hacking run}
   that produces results which, while superficially coherent, have little
   or nothing to do with its original objectives. There are strong
   connotations that the coding process and the objectives themselves
   were pretty {random}. (In the original comic strip, the Ratbert is
   invited to dance on Dilbert's keyboard in order to produce bugs for
   him to fix, and authors a Web browser instead.) Compare
   {Infinite-Monkey Theorem}.

   This term seems to have become widely recognized quite rapidly after
   the original strip, a fact which testifies to Dilbert's huge
   popularity among hackers. All too many find the perverse incentives
   and Kafkaesque atmosphere of Dilbert's mythical workplace reflective
   of their own experiences.