IT
Technical debt
The accumulated cost of deferred maintenance, workarounds and postponed rework.
Plain English
Work deferred to ship something sooner, which makes every later change more expensive.
If you’re new here
It accumulates quietly and is almost never funded on its own. It surfaces as a project that should have taken weeks taking months.
What they probably mean
“Shortcuts somebody took, that you now have to work around.”
Interpretation offered as humour, not authoritative guidance.
Bureaucracy level
Easy · 2/5
How much government-speak this phrase carries. Playful indicator, not a judgement of anyone using it.
Related terms
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