There is also the option under certain circumstances of "ACF" (Acceptable - Carried Forward).
This enables a Captain to sign for an aeroplane and fly it with a defect which hasn't had engineering input. It's effectively a "get back to base" option. However, the restrictions on this have been tightened significantly over the years, no doubt to prevent the kind of abuse we're alluding to here, and it is now effectively restricted to non-airworthiness items.