rathole

2 definitions found

rathole - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  rathole
      n 1: a hole (as in the wall of a building) made by rats
      2: a small dirty uncomfortable room

rathole - Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003) :

  rathole
  
  
     [from the English idiom "down a rathole" for a waste of money or
  time]
     A technical subject that is known to be able to absorb infinite
     amounts of discussion time without more than an infinitesimal
     probability of arrival at a conclusion or consensus. "That's a
     rathole" (or just "Rathole!") is considered a pre-emptive bid to
     change the subject. The difference between ratholes and religious issues
      is that a holy war cannot be pre-empted in this way.
  Canonical
     examples are XML namespaces and open-source licensing.