elephantine: adj. 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.
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