A term describing code that technically works but has design problems that suggest deeper issues. Code smells indicate areas where code might be hard to maintain, understand, or extend.
Coined by Kent Beck and popularized by Martin Fowler in 'Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code' (1999). The metaphor of 'smell' suggests something that doesn't seem quite right - like food that might be spoiled - requiring investigation to determine if there's actually a problem.
Code smells are like that weird noise your car makes - it still runs, but experienced mechanics know that grinding sound means trouble ahead! Common smells like 'God Object' (a class that does everything) or 'Spaghetti Code' (tangled logic) are early warning signs that save developers from future debugging nightmares.
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