nerd snipe
jargonops cultureprogramming
Presenting someone an irresistibly interesting problem, derailing whatever they were supposed to be doing.
The term comes from xkcd #356, where a physicist is stopped in his tracks (fatally, in the comic) by an infinite-resistor-grid puzzle placed in the road. Engineers use it both as accusation and confession: a well-aimed puzzle in a chat channel can burn an afternoon of a whole team. Consider it the denial-of-service attack that targets curiosity.