Dictionary

kluge en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /kluːd͡ʒ/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From US military slang, possibly from German klug (“clever”), or perhaps from Dutch Low Saxon klütje (“(little) dumpling, clod”), Jutland Danish klyt (“piece of bad workmanship, klud(g)e”); compare standard Danish kludder (“mess, disorder”). (Compare English klutz.) According to the OED, an "invented word" influenced by bodge and fudge. Compare kludge.

Meanings

1. Something that should not work, but does.
2. A device assembled from components intended for disparate purposes.

Forms

Deriveds

klugey

Synonyms

workaround (something that should not work but does)

kluge en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /kluːd͡ʒ/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From US military slang, possibly from German klug (“clever”), or perhaps from Dutch Low Saxon klütje (“(little) dumpling, clod”), Jutland Danish klyt (“piece of bad workmanship, klud(g)e”); compare standard Danish kludder (“mess, disorder”). (Compare English klutz.) According to the OED, an "invented word" influenced by bodge and fudge. Compare kludge.

Meanings

1. (alt-of, alternative) Alternative spelling of kludge.
   alt of kludge

Forms