Dictionary of American idioms

GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT.

Garbage in, garbage out.: translation

Garbage in, garbage out.
Prov.If you give nonsensical instructions to people or computers, those instructions will produce nonsensical results. •

Jill: Why is my computer generating all this gibberish? Jane: You must have made a mistake in the program. Garbage in, garbage out.

•

Ed insists that children are so ignorant nowadays because their teachers are incompetent. “Garbage in, garbage out,” he says.