house wizard
(Probably from ad-agency tradetalk, "house freak") A hacker occupying a technical-specialist, R&D, or systems position at a commercial shop. A really effective house wizard can have influence out of all proportion to his/her ostensible rank and still not have to wear a suit. Used especially of Unix wizards. The term "house guru" is equivalent.
[The Jargon File]
(1995-02-16)