dike
To remove or disable a portion of something, as a wire from a
computer or a subroutine from a program. A standard slogan is
"When in doubt, dike it out". (The implication is that it is
usually more effective to attack software problems by reducing
complexity than by increasing it.) The word "dikes" is widely
used among mechanics and engineers to mean "diagonal cutters",
especially the heavy-duty metal-cutting version, but may also
refer to a kind of wire-cutters used by electronics
technicians. To "dike something out" means to use such
cutters to remove something. Indeed, the TMRC Dictionary
defined dike as "to attack with dikes". Among hackers this
term has been metaphorically extended to informational objects
such as sections of code.
[{Jargon File}]