[gmfawcett]

I don't know... I don't really consider myself part of the HN echo-chamber (who does, I guess?). I hear "use case" fairly regularly here at our university, among non-technical staff in our academic support units. Perhaps we've indoctrinated them over the years...

Regardless, I would argue that "use case" has a quite specific and useful meaning that goes beyond mere corp-speak. I wouldn't use in conversation at a neighbourhood barbecue, but in a technical context (like a discussion of Python) the usage seems perfectly fine.