Is it too specific or is it Adams' sentient puddle? I've done similar where you misunderstand something and what you write doesn't work, you strip it down to a

Is it too specific or is it Adams' sentient puddle? I've done similar where you misunderstand something and what you write doesn't work, you strip it down to a minimum working version add on bits which break it, fiddle about with iterating the new bits and afterwards you have an accretion that 'works' but you don't know why.