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> So `<!nocheck>` is the negation of `<nocheck>`.

This is, unfortunately, not true: the negation is within the term. `!nocheck` is the negation of `nocheck` but both are build profile specs.

The default is “no build profile”. This means anything that uses `<someterm>` is ignored and anything that uses `<!someterm>` (or no `<…>` at all) is honoured.

If you set a build profile, e.g. `-Pnocheck` at the `dpkg-buildpackage` command line, then `<nocheck>` (and no `<…>` at all) are honoured and `<!nocheck>` is ignored.

The extra descriptions there about how terms are combined apply if you have more than one profile, but for just one like `nocheck`, it works like this:

| `Build-Depends` \\ `-P` | `""` | `-Pnocheck` |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `somepkg` | used | used |
| `somepkg <nocheck>` | skipped | used |
| `somepkg <!nocheck>` | used | skipped |