Dictionary.net

(From mathematical jargon) An expressionused ironically to characterise unquantifiable behaviour thatdiffers from expected or required behaviour. For example,suppose a newly created program came up with a correctfull-screen display, and one publicly exclaimed: "It works!"Then, if the program dumped core on the first mouse click,one might add: "Well, for suitably small values of `works'."Compare the characterisation of pi under for values of.