black box vs widget

black box

noun
  • A theoretical construct or device with known input and output characteristics but unknown method of operation. 

  • A flight recorder; the brightly colored cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders in an aircraft designed to aid in determining the cause of an accident. 

  • A device used in phreaking that prevents the calling party from being billed for the call placed. 

  • A type of theater characterized by a lack of decoration or complex mechanisms. 

  • Any similar device on motor vehicles, such as rail event recorders and ship trip recorders. 

verb
  • To focus on the inputs and outputs without worrying about the internal complexity. 

widget

noun
  • Synonym of tool, implement, device, gadget, part 

  • A placeholder name for an unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product, typically as an example for purposes of explaining concepts. 

  • A floating device inside a beer can, meant to create foam when opened. 

  • A small scraping tool consisting of a blade and a handle, commonly used to remove paint from glass and other smooth surfaces. 

  • Any one of the components of a computer application's graphical user interface, such as a Cancel button or text input box that a user interacts with. 

  • A small applet that can be placed on the desktop or in a sidebar, etc. 

How often have the words black box and widget occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )