skunkworks
Pronunciation: /skʌŋkˈwəːkʃ/
Definition of skunkworks
noun
- an experimental laboratory or department of a company or institution, typically smaller than and independent of its main research division: this wasn’t a short-staffed skunkworks, these were the top research managers the most successful collection of such skunkworks cannot alone propel the growth of a large company
Origin:
1970s: allegedly from an association with the Skonk Works, an illegal still in the 'Li'l Abner' comic strip