not here").
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Acme n.

The canonical supplier of bizarre, elaborate, and non-functional
gadgetry - where Rube Goldberg and Heath Robinson (two cartoonists who
specialized in elaborate contraptions) shop. The name has been
humorously expanded as A (or American) Company Making Everything. (In
fact, Acme was a real brand sold from Sears Roebuck catalogs in the
early 1900s.) Describing some X as an "Acme X" either means "This is
[335]insanely great", or, more likely, "This looks [336]insanely great
on paper, but in practice it's really easy to shoot yourself in the
foot with it." Compare [337]pistol.

This term, specially cherished by American hackers and explained here
for the benefit of our overseas brethren, comes from the Warner
Brothers' series of "Roadrunner" cartoons. In these cartoons, the
famished Wile E. Coyote was forever attempting to catch up with, trap,
and eat the Roadrunner. His attempts usually involved one or more
high-technology Rube Goldberg devices - rocket jetpacks, catapults,
magnetic traps, high-powered slingshots, etc. These were usually
delivered in large cardboard boxes, labeled prominently with the Acme
name. These devices invariably malfunctioned in improbable and violent
ways.
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