Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

case and paste
     
         (From "{cut and paste}") The addition of a new
        {feature} to an existing system by selecting the code from an
        existing feature and pasting it in with minor changes.  Common
        in telephony circles because most operations in a telephone
        switch are selected using "case" statements.  Leads to
        {software bloat}.
     
        In some circles of {Emacs} users this is called "programming
        by Meta-W", because Meta-W is the Emacs command for copying a
        block of text to a {kill buffer} in preparation to pasting it
        in elsewhere.  The term is condescending, implying that the
        programmer is acting mindlessly rather than thinking carefully
        about what is required to integrate the code for two similar
        cases.
     
        At {DEC}, this is sometimes called "clone-and-hack" coding.
     
        [{Jargon File}]
     
        (1996-03-01)