whack-a-mole

whack-a-mole
 n.

   [from the carnival game which involves quickly and repeatedly hitting
   the heads of mechanical moles with a mallet as they pop up from their
   holes.]

   1. The practice of repeatedly causing spammers' {throwaway account}s
   and drop boxes to be terminated.

   2. After sense 1 became established in the mid-1990s the term passed
   into more generalized use, and now is commonly found in such
   combinations as whack-a-mole windows; the obnoxious pop-up
   advertisement windows spawned in flocks when you surf to sites like
   Angelfire or Lycos.