title: Can `del` make Python faster?
body: <p>As a programmer, I generally try to avoid the <code>del</code> statement because it is often an extra complication that Python program don't often need. However, when browsing the standard library (<code>threading</code>, <code>os</code>, etc...) and the pseudo-standard library (<code>numpy</code>, <code>scipy</code>, etc...) I see it used a non-zero amount of times, and I'd like to better understand when it is/isn't appropriate the <code>del</code> statement. </p>
  
  <p>Specifically, I'm curious about the relationship between the Python <code>del</code> statement and the efficiency of a Python program. It seems to me that <code>del</code> might help a program run faster by reducing the amount of clutter lookup instructions need to sift through. However, I can also see a world where the extra instruction takes up more time than it saves. </p>
  
  <p>My question is: does anyone have any interesting code snippets that demonstrate cases where <code>del</code> significantly changes the speed of the program? I'm most interested in cases where <code>del</code> improves the execution speed of a program, although non-trivial cases where <code>del</code> can really hurt are also interesting. </p>