Word, phrase, or idiom for minor, annoying, but ignored breakage
My purpose, if it matters, is to help in creating a "short title" as a metaphor for a policy proposal at work.
For reasons of cost or convenience, some people ignore small parts that are broken. For example, if a knob breaks on the heating controls of a car, many people may tend to "live with" the problem rather than fix it if the control is either unimportant or can still be accessed in some other way (perhaps with pliers). Or, perhaps a switch plate on a light switch is cracked or broken, but people using that light switch do not see the necessity in replacing the switch plate. I can give more examples if needed, and I have a "draft" name for the proposal in case there is no word, phrase, or idiom to describe this phenomenon:
Note: Spoiler hidden below to avoid anchoring. You may wish to try answering the question first.
"No broken knobs" policy
I have tried Google to no avail, using various combinations of the above spoiler words, along with:
- word for something that is broken in a minor way that will be ignored
- phrase for minor breakage
and a number of other queries that I have now forgotten.
Are there any particular words, phrases, or idioms that describe this phenomenon?
It seems to me there's already an expression in common use. I just typed zero defec with "Google Instant" turned on. Google suggests I might be looking for...
Zero Defects Policy
It's moderately unclear what you're asking, but I'll suggest wear and tear for something similar. Wear and tear generally suggests the breaking or lessening in effectiveness of objects as a result of normal aging and use. While the phrase does not necessarily imply that the damage won't be fixed, it is certainly understood to not be a priority. It is also understood to be minor enough such that nobody is to blame for the damage; rather, it is expected. This is the basis of the legal precedents described in the article.
Perhaps you can allude to the broken windows theory?
I'd recommend minor damages.