What Does Waving A Dead Chicken Mean?
“Waving a dead chicken” is a slang term for doing some sort of technical activity that is technically futile or superstitious in nature. It speaks to the ideas that people have about technology, and the ways that humans interact with computers and digital systems.
Techopedia Explains Waving A Dead Chicken
Waving a dead chicken happens in a number of ways. One of the common ones is through human superstition about technology. When someone is trying to fix something, for instance, successfully boot a personal computer, install an operating system or use a particular application, they may start to perform specific tasks such as restarting the computer, using the control-alt-delete keys, or changing settings on the control panel. They may even associate successful operations with things like rubbing the mouse pad or the frame of the computer, tapping on an area of the computer case, or plugging and unplugging various cords. This type of waving a dead chicken is especially associated with those with obsessive-compulsive disorder tendencies, where the repetitive use of technology starts to take on a somewhat complex psychological effect.