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garbage in, garbage out

This saying points out the fact that a computer can do only what it is programmed to do and is only as good as the data it receives and the instructions it is given. If there is a logical error in software, or if incorrect data are entered, the result will probably be either a wrong answer or a system crash.

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Question 1 of 9
You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?
To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
To stew in a sauce for a long time.
To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.
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notes for garbage in, garbage out

The saying is sometimes shortened to “GIGO” (GUY-go).

Words nearby garbage in, garbage out

Garand rifle, garb, garbage, garbage can, garbage collection, garbage in, garbage out, garbageman, garbage truck, garbanzo, garble, garbled
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.