Used of programs or systems that are both conspicuous hogs (owing perhaps to poor design founded on {brute force and ignorance}) and exceedingly {hairy} in source form. An elephantine program may be functional and even friendly, but (as in the old joke about being in bed with an elephant) it' s tough to have around all the same (and, like a pachyderm, difficult to maintain). In extreme cases, hackers have been known to make trumpeting sounds or perform expressive proboscatory mime at the mention of the offending program. Usage: semi-humorous. Compare "has the elephant nature" and the somewhat more pejorative monstrosity. See also second-system effect and baroque. [Jargon File]

In addition suitable contents:
[ = ] [ ag ] [ ai ] [ al ] [ am ] [ an ] [ ar ] [ arc ] [ arg ] [ as ] [ at ] [ av ] [ b ] [ ba ] [ bar ] [ baroque ] [ be ] [ bo ] [ bot ] [ br ] [ brute force and ignorance ] [ C ] [ ca ] [ case ] [ cat ] [ ch ] [ ck ] [ co ] [ con ] [ cons ] [ cu ] [ de ] [ design ] [ diff ] [ ding ] [ du ] [ ec ] [ ed ] [ ee ] [ elephant ] [ er ] [ es ] [ et ] [ fi ] [ file ] [ fo ] [ for ] [ fr ] [ function ] [ functional ] [ ge ] [ gh ] [ gl ] [ gn ] [ gr ] [ h ] [ hack ] [ hacker ] [ hair ] [ hairy ] [ hat ] [ hog ] [ hr ] [ hu ] [ humor ] [ id ] [ ie ] [ iff ] [ il ] [ in ] [ int ] [ io ] [ ir ] [ it ] [ J ] [ Jargon File ] [ jo ] [ ke ] [ kn ] [ ld ] [ Lex ] [ li ] [ ls ] [ lt ] [ ly ] [ ma ] [ mo ] [ mod ] [ module ] [ mp ] [ ms ] [ na ] [ nature ] [ nc ] [ ne ] [ ng ] [ no ] [ ns ] [ om ] [ pa ] [ pe ] [ perf ] [ ph ] [ pr ] [ program ] [ query ] [ rc ] [ re ] [ ro ] [ ru ] [ S ] [ sa ] [ sam ] [ sc ] [ se ] [ second-system effect ] [ semi ] [ si ] [ sig ] [ sit ] [ so ] [ sound ] [ source ] [ st ] [ sy ] [ system ] [ th ] [ to ] [ tr ] [ ug ] [ um ] [ us ] [ ve ] [ win ] [ brute force ]