Are Those Assets “Toxic,†“Dodgy,†“Devalued†or Just “Legacy� "There's a widening dichotomy in the way industry observers describe subprime-related financial instruments, such as those included in the financial rescue plan the Treasury Department announced yesterday: what some call “toxic,†'troubled' or “dodgy' assets, others (such as the current Administration) refer to as simply “legacy' assets. They've certainly been suffering a liquidity problem and probably performance issues, but are these assets truly 'toxic'? On the other hand, are they a gift, as the word 'legacy' implies?"
The author ignored (or missed) another usage of "legacy", perhaps not in the printed OED but available on line:
attrib. Chiefly Computing. Designating software or hardware which, although outdated or limiting, is an integral part of a computer system and difficult to replace. Also in extended use.
Now extended to other usages?