Sunday Word: Kludgy (or Cludgy)

[theidolhands.livejournal.com]

klud·gy [ˈkluːdʒe]:
origin: (1960's); J. W. Granholm's jocular invention; old Scots "kludgie" meaning an outside toilet.

noun | adjective
1. An inelegant solution to a problem; a patch; quick and dirty work-around.
2. Particularly where multiple types of machinery are connected together
3. Slang for computer/internet access on cheap, poorly matched, or jury-rigged equipment.
→ note: hackers used the pronunciation "klooj".

"I know the table has two wonky legs, but putting books under them is kludgy at best."

Comments

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

Huh. I'm used to seeing kudge as the noun form, and kludgy as the adjective.

But then, I'd somehow gotten the impression that it's WWII slang.

---L.

[theidolhands.livejournal.com]

Was on last night's episode of "Last Tango in Halifax", a show taking place in the modern era, in England.

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

Oh, it's still current -- I hear older programmers use it to describe ungraceful hacks. I meant that to mean originated during WWII.

---L.

[theidolhands.livejournal.com]

Honestly, it sounded like an older word to me as well, although in fairness, the man on the "current" program who used the word was an older gent. He stated that his houseboat had a "kludgy" and off to the Internet I went!

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

And now see here (http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/2014/07/31/).