callback hell

Definition

The rightward-drifting pyramid of nested callback functions in asynchronous code that makes your program look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa made of braces. Also known as the 'Pyramid of Doom' or 'why I started drinking.'

Example Usage

This code is callback hell incarnate—we're eight levels deep and I've lost track of which error handler goes where.

Origin

Emerged with asynchronous JavaScript programming in the 2000s, before Promises and async/await provided salvation

Fun Fact

A JavaScript developer once printed out callback hell code and used the rightward slope as a ski jump in a diorama, winning the office code visualization contest.

Source: JavaScript and asynchronous programming documentation

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