yak shaving

1 definition found

yak shaving - Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003) :

  yak shaving
  
  
     [MIT AI Lab, after 2000: orig. probably from a Ren & Stimpy episode.]
     Any seemingly pointless activity which is actually necessary to solve
     a problem which solves a problem which, several levels of recursion
     later, solves the real problem you're working on.