дословно "якорь для лодки", балласт о неработоспособном или бесполезном аппаратном оборудовании либо о человеке, который просто занимает место, не принося пользы на работе
шлюпочный якорь
1. Like doorstop but more severe; implies that the offending hardware is irreversibly dead or useless. "That was a working motherboard once. One lightning strike later, instant boat anchor!" 2. A person who just takes up space. 3. Obsolete but still working hardware, especially when used of an old S100-bus hobbyist system; originally a term of annoyance, but became more and more affectionate as the hardware became more and more obsolete.