If I wanted a word or phrase meaning "working on something in a high quality but uninspired craftsmenlike way" what would you suggest?
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I mean, in gaming this is just "smurfing", but for some reason I can't think of a more general analogue.
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What game do you get this from? In the games I've played, smurfing means something like "a high level player side steps a match making system so they get intentionally matched up with lower level players", often by means of creating a throwaway account or similar
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Yes, that seems like a valid definition, although I think you can use it more broadly (i.e. doesn't always have to be deliberate).
Regardless, you take that one step further and you exactly arrive at applying a relatively high level of skill with sort of disinterested precision.
Maybe I was off on my read of the question, but that seemed to me like the same quality of activity.