code police

n. [by analogy with George Orwell's thought police ] A mythical team of
Gestapo-like storm troopers that might burst into one's office and arrest
one for violating programming style rules. May be used either seriously, to
underline a claim that a particular style violation is dangerous, or
ironically, to suggest that the practice under discussion is condemned
mainly by anal-retentive weenie s. Dike out that goto or the code police
will get you! The ironic usage is perhaps more common.

