(From the story of the little girl who said "I know how to spell "banana", but I don' t know when to stop"). Not knowing where or when to bring a production to a close (compare fencepost error). One may say "there is a banana problem" of an algorithm with poorly defined or incorrect terminATion conditions, or in discussing the evolution of a design thAT may be succumbing to feATuritis (see also creeping elegance, creeping feATuritis). See item 176 under HAKMEM, which describes a banana problem in a DissociATed Press implementATion. Also, see one-banana problem for a superficially similar but unrelATed usage. (1995-01-31)