[082349872349872]

https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=corner+case%2C...

suggests it's a low-dimension version of "corner case", which I believe comes from aerospace*. (both spike in 1947-1957, which, albeit possible, seems early for a software origin)

* compare "coffin corner": https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=corner+case%2C...

[hairywalt]

When I previously looked into the examples returned, most were accidental connections across a sentence boundary in scientific papers e.g. "Case 1 - both poles on the edge. Case 2 - ..."

The ones that related to aerospace seemed to refer to leading edge and trailing edge which doesn't seem to fit the modern meaning?

[082349872349872]

I saw several corner cases related to civil engineering in the correct sense; I'll try to think of larger phrases that might be more specific...

EDIT: or maybe not? they seem to be literally "edge" and "corner" cases (of slabs, not in parameter space)

(...and "coffin corner" appears to have been from american football before aerospace?)

[hairywalt]

Yep, I'm struggling to find a use outside of computer science where I'm starting to suspect it originated