25 idioms you should know for software development
Since my CS grad school days to working in tech companies, there were many idioms and phrases I heard over and over.
Barking up the wrong tree
pursuing a line of thought or course of action that is misguided. [reference]
The phrase is an allusion to the mistake made by dogs when they believe they have chased a prey up a tree.
Can be used with “red herring” while debugging. “He followed the red herring and spent time barking up the wrong tree.”
The ball is in your court.
I did my part, now it’s up to you… [reference]
It originates from tennis, where if the ball gets in your court, you deal with it by hitting it across the net to your opponent.
Ballpark
acceptable range of estimation [reference]
“Could you give me a ballpark estimate of the number of users?”
One theory says that “ballpark figure” was coined in the 1950s, the early years of the space race. Being something of a then inexact science, when a spacecraft returned to earth it was said to be “in the ballpark” if it landed within the pre-designated area. This is a baseball reference because when balls are hit…
