abstract nonsense
Details which are straightforward but so tedious that an author or lecturer would…Details which are straightforward but so tedious that an author or lecturer would rather skip them (especially those of a category theoretical nature).
Meaning
4 senses(humorous, uncountable)Details which are straightforward but so tedious that an author or lecturer would rather skip them (especially those of a category theoretical nature).
(humorous, uncountable)Details which involve diagram chasing.
(humorous, uncountable)Category theory in general.
(uncountable)Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see abstract, nonsense.
Origin
Coined by Norman Steenrod, popularized by Serge Lang.Coined by Norman Steenrod, popularized by Serge Lang.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Word family
1 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.