twiddle
1. <character> The tilde character.
2. <jargon> (To make) a small or insignificant change. E.g. twiddling a
program often fixes one bug and generates several new ones (see also shotgun
debugging). Bits are often twiddled. Twiddling a switch or knob implies much
less sense of purpose than toggling or tweaking it; see frobnicate. Bit
twiddling connotes aimlessness, and at best doesn't specify what you're doing to
the bit; to "toggle a bit" has a more specific meaning.
[Jargon File]
(1995-01-31)
Nearby terms:
TWENEX « Twente Compiler Generator System « Twentel
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twiddle » TWIG » twilight zone » twink
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