twiddle

n.

  1. Tilde (ASCII 1111110, ~). Also called squiggle, sqiggle (sic — pronounced /skig´l/), and twaddle, but twiddle is the most common term.

  2. A small and insignificant change to a program. Usually fixes one bug and generates several new ones (see also shotgun debugging).

  3. vt. To change something in a small way. Bits, for example, are often twiddled. Twiddling a switch or knobs implies much less sense of purpose than toggling or tweaking it; see frobnicate. To speak of twiddling a bit connotes aimlessness, and at best doesn't specify what you're doing to the bit; ‘toggling a bit’ has a more specific meaning (see bit twiddling, toggle). 4. Uncommon name for the twirling baton prompt.