black art

n.
Black magic; witchcraft.

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[common] A collection of arcane, unpublished, and (by implication) mostly ad-hoc techniques developed for a particular application or systems area (compare black magic). VLSI design and compiler code optimization were (in their beginnings) considered classic examples of black art; as theory developed they became deep magic, and once standard textbooks had been written, became merely heavy wizardry. The huge proliferation of formal and informal channels for spreading around new computer-related technologies during the last twenty years has made both the term black art and what it describes less common than formerly. See also voodoo programming.

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For a list of words related to black art, see:

• Rites, Practices, Spells, and Symbols - black art: magic practiced by witches, conjurers, and diabolists

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