What is "spaghetti code"

n. (context computing English) unstructured or poorly structured program source code; especially code with many GOTO statements (or their equivalent).

Spaghetti code is a pejorative phrase for source code that has a complex and tangled control structure, especially one using many GOTO statements, exceptions, threads, or other " unstructured" branching constructs. It is named such because program flow is conceptually like a bowl of spaghetti, i.e. twisted and tangled. Spaghetti code can be caused by several factors, such as continuous modifications by several people over a long life cycle. Structured programming greatly decreases the incidence of spaghetti code.