"metastatic prototype"

Also known as: Quick Hack, Kleenex Code, Disposable Code, Scripting, Killer Demo, Permanent Prototype, Boomtown. [1]

http://blog.codinghorror.com/the-big-ball-of-mud-and-other-a...

"There is nothing more permanent than a temporary solution".

Hmm, disagree. The prototype doesn't have cancer, it causes the cancer. You're right that it's easier to say but it's saying the wrong thing.

I like this better too - the prototype will inevitably grow from its humble origins, and with every new feature that is hastily thrown in, the application becomes ever so much riskier.

Prototumor