wave a dead chicken

from Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003)

wave a dead chicken
 v.

   To perform a ritual in the direction of crashed software or hardware
   that one believes to be futile but is nevertheless necessary so that
   others are satisfied that an appropriate degree of effort has been
   expended. "I'll wave a dead chicken over the source code, but I really
   think we've run into an OS bug." Compare {voodoo programming}, {rain
   dance}; see also {casting the runes}.

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

wave a dead chicken

   <jargon> To perform a ritual in the direction of crashed
   software or hardware that one believes to be futile but is
   nevertheless necessary so that others are satisfied that an
   appropriate degree of effort has been expended.  "I'll wave a
   dead chicken over the source code, but I really think we've
   run into an OS bug".

   Compare {voodoo programming}, {rain dance}.

   [{Jargon File}]

   (1996-09-08)

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