A phrase made popular by the book, a Catch-22 is a situation where desired solutions are impossible due to illogical rules.
It is VERY similar to the phrase: 'damned if you do, damned if you don't'.
It is VERY similar to the phrase: 'damned if you do, damned if you don't'.
History class was a catch-22. Either you completed hours of work or you got scolded and hurt from neglecting it. Or you had to pay for someone else to do it. There seemed to be no desirable option.
by Erin Wolf The Werewolf September 14, 2005
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Debugging is twice as hard as writing the program, so if you write the program as cleverly as you can, by definition, you won’t be clever enough to debug it.
~ Brian Kernighan
~ http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~bwk/
(a classic example of catch22)
~ Brian Kernighan
~ http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~bwk/
(a classic example of catch22)
by wincliff April 26, 2009
Get the catch22 mug.A functionally retarded internet message board poster who exhibits symtoms of paranoia, schizophrenia, delusions, and drug and alcohol abuse.
"That babbling fruitcake sounds like catch22", or "Either a drunken retard flew in here on a missle fired from the Woolworth Building and started puking all over the place, or Catch is back".
Catch22 posts on several message boards using mutiple identities on each. He plays 'sock puppets' with himself, arguing between his various personas about nutty conspiracy theories and plots against him (them?). Some of his other identities include: ThisRendition, 1chipinbrain, JFK63&9/11, Electric Shock Guy, Cain Kills Abel, 32 Flavors, R.P. McMurphy, Ghostwriter, and many many others.
Catch currently divides his his time by arguing with himself about CIA persecution, and by working towards being the first person to be banned off of every single forum on the internet. As of late, he has been instigating conflicts and strife between boards who have banned one or more of his identities. Watch for a Catch22 appearance at a forum near you!
Catch22 posts on several message boards using mutiple identities on each. He plays 'sock puppets' with himself, arguing between his various personas about nutty conspiracy theories and plots against him (them?). Some of his other identities include: ThisRendition, 1chipinbrain, JFK63&9/11, Electric Shock Guy, Cain Kills Abel, 32 Flavors, R.P. McMurphy, Ghostwriter, and many many others.
Catch currently divides his his time by arguing with himself about CIA persecution, and by working towards being the first person to be banned off of every single forum on the internet. As of late, he has been instigating conflicts and strife between boards who have banned one or more of his identities. Watch for a Catch22 appearance at a forum near you!
by JB January 5, 2005
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Get the catch22 mug.by Brainiac January 7, 2005
Get the catch22 mug.1)A situation in which a desired outcome or solution is impossible to attain because of a set of inherently illogical rules or conditions.
2) A contradictory or self-defeating course of action.
3) Novel by Joseph Heller.
2) A contradictory or self-defeating course of action.
3) Novel by Joseph Heller.
"You're wasting your time," Doc Daneeka was forced to tell him.
"Can't you ground someone's who's crazy?"
"Oh sure, I have to. There's a rule saying I have to ground anyone who's crazy."
"Then why don't you ground me. Ask Clevinger."
"Clevinger? Where is Clevinger? You find Clevinger and I'll ask him."
"Then ask any of the others. They'll tell you how crazy I am."
"They're crazy."
"Then why don't you ground them?"
"Why don't they ask me to ground them?"
"Because they're crazy, that's why."
"Of course they're crazy," Doc Daneeka replied. "I just told you they're crazy didn't I? And you can't let crazy people decide whether you're crazy or not can you?"
Yossarian looked at him soberly and tried another approach. "Is Orr crazy?"
"He sure is," Doc Daneeka said.
"Can you ground him?"
"I sure can but first he has to ask me to. That's part of the rule."
"Then why doesn't he ask you to?"
"Because he's crazy," Doc Daneeka said. "He has to be crazy to keep flying combat missions after all the close calls he's had. Sure I can ground Orr. But first he has to ask me to."
"That's all he has to do to be grounded?"
"That's all. Let him ask me."
"And then you can ground him?" Yossarian asked.
"No, then I can't ground him."
"You mean there's a catch?"
"Sure there is a catch," Doc Daneeka replied. "Catch-22. Anyone who wants to get out of combat duty isn't really crazy."
There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, that specified that a concern for one's own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane, he had to fly them. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of the clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.
"That's some catch, that Catch-22," he observed.
"It's the best there is," Doc Daneeka replied.
"Can't you ground someone's who's crazy?"
"Oh sure, I have to. There's a rule saying I have to ground anyone who's crazy."
"Then why don't you ground me. Ask Clevinger."
"Clevinger? Where is Clevinger? You find Clevinger and I'll ask him."
"Then ask any of the others. They'll tell you how crazy I am."
"They're crazy."
"Then why don't you ground them?"
"Why don't they ask me to ground them?"
"Because they're crazy, that's why."
"Of course they're crazy," Doc Daneeka replied. "I just told you they're crazy didn't I? And you can't let crazy people decide whether you're crazy or not can you?"
Yossarian looked at him soberly and tried another approach. "Is Orr crazy?"
"He sure is," Doc Daneeka said.
"Can you ground him?"
"I sure can but first he has to ask me to. That's part of the rule."
"Then why doesn't he ask you to?"
"Because he's crazy," Doc Daneeka said. "He has to be crazy to keep flying combat missions after all the close calls he's had. Sure I can ground Orr. But first he has to ask me to."
"That's all he has to do to be grounded?"
"That's all. Let him ask me."
"And then you can ground him?" Yossarian asked.
"No, then I can't ground him."
"You mean there's a catch?"
"Sure there is a catch," Doc Daneeka replied. "Catch-22. Anyone who wants to get out of combat duty isn't really crazy."
There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, that specified that a concern for one's own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane, he had to fly them. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of the clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.
"That's some catch, that Catch-22," he observed.
"It's the best there is," Doc Daneeka replied.
by zopwx2 June 20, 2004
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