A group of people working under pressure, frantically, expending a lot of energy without making any real progress. Garrison Keillor describing headless chickens; "without the extra weight, they can really go." Think "deadline set by the pointy-haired boss from Dilbert."
The project was late, so the boss decided to add a dozen people to the team, and it turned into a complete Headless Chicken Race.
by Robert Merrill June 23, 2006