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bells and whistles

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bells and whistles

–plural noun Informal.
features added to a product; special parts or functions; extras.

Origin:
1970–75
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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bells and whistles  
pl.n.  Nonessential features or enhancements intended especially to add commercial appeal.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
bells and whistles

  1. n.
    extra, fancy gadgets. : All those bells and whistles add to the cost.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Financial Dictionary

bells and whistles

Special features that are added to ordinary investments to attract investors' attention. Examples of bells and whistles include put features on bonds and floating dividends on preferred stock. Often the value of the features is more apparent than real. Also called kickers, wrinkles.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Computing Dictionary

bells and whistles jargon
(By analogy with the "toyboxes" on theatre organs). Features added to a program or system to make it more flavourful from a hacker's point of view, without necessarily adding to its utility for its primary function. Distinguished from chrome, which is intended to attract users. "Now that we've got the basic program working, let's go back and add some bells and whistles." No one seems to know what distinguishes a bell from a whistle.
[The Jargon File]
(2007-04-03)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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