twiddle

1. character The tilde character.

2. jargon (To make) a small or insignificant change.

E.g. twiddling a program often fixes one bug and generates

several new ones (see also shotgun debugging). Bits are

often twiddled. Twiddling a switch or knob implies much less

sense of purpose than toggling or tweaking it; see

frobnicate. Bit twiddling connotes aimlessness, and at

best doesn't specify what you're doing to the bit; to

"toggle a bit" has a more specific meaning.

[Jargon File]

(1995-01-31)