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boondoggle
[
boon
-dog-
uh
l
,
-daw-g
uh
l
]
Example Sentences
Origin
boon·dog·gle
/
ˈbunˌdɒg
əl
,
-ˌdɔ
gəl
/
Show Spelled
[
boon
-dog-
uh
l
,
-daw-g
uh
l
]
Show IPA
noun, verb,
-gled,
-gling.
noun
1.
a product of simple manual skill, as a plaited leather cord for the neck or a knife sheath, made typically by a camper or a scout.
2.
work of little or no value done merely to keep or look busy.
3.
a project funded by the federal government out of political favoritism that is of no real value to the
community
or the nation.
verb (used with object)
4.
to deceive or attempt to deceive:
to boondoggle investors into a low-interest scheme.
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Boondoggle
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is
lollygag
. Does it mean:
So is
peculate
. Does it mean:
So is
kibitz
. Does it mean:
to spend time idly; loaf.
to run away hurriedly; flee.
chat, to converse
to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.
chat, to converse
to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.
LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
verb (used without object)
5.
to do work of little or no practical value merely to keep or look busy.
Origin:
1930–35,
Americanism
;
said to have been coined by R. H. Link, American scoutmaster, as name
for def. 1
Related forms
boon·dog·gler,
noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
|
Link To
boondoggle
Example Sentences
Trust me, it's going to be a
boondoggle
of breathtaking proportions.
Construction has been stalled while critics and proponents debated whether the undertaking was a boon or a
boondoggle
.
It's not as good as a
boondoggle
that burns money directly, but it's a step in the right direction.
EXPAND
Trust me, it's going to be a
boondoggle
of breathtaking proportions.
Construction has been stalled while critics and proponents debated whether the undertaking was a boon or a
boondoggle
.
It's not as good as a
boondoggle
that burns money directly, but it's a step in the right direction.
And, once again, critics insist that the entire project is a costly
boondoggle
and should be abandoned.
With the space station now almost universally viewed as worthless, the manned-space funders need a new
boondoggle
.
But this is also the program that catapulted the word
boondoggle
into common political usage.
If a lawsuit gets filed and on the rare chance this
boondoggle
is not immediately dismissed, you will be deposed.
The vast majority of business travel is a complete
boondoggle
.
Learning how the sun works and what it may be doing in the near future is not a
boondoggle
.
Presumably, the government would have rather kept its billion-dollar
boondoggle
to itself for another two hundred years.
Yes, a high speed rail network is probably a
boondoggle
.
Windmills and solar panels are tomorrow's government
boondoggle
same as ethanol.
Next, when he comes by asking for money for some plausible-sounding
boondoggle
they are going to have a hard time saying no.
Some criticized stimulus projects are popular locally and underscore that
boondoggle
is in the eye of the beholder.
Now they are widely seen as a
boondoggle
to agribusiness that hurts the.
The project has been a boon to the contractor but a
boondoggle
for the city”.
However it would be a giant
boondoggle
to build such a base.
The missile defense system is a
boondoggle
a waste of money.
It's all lipstick on a corrupt pig, window-dressing on a
boondoggle
.
In other words, many of those already convinced that cutting carbon is a
boondoggle
pretended to be undecided.
COLLAPSE
Collins
World English Dictionary
boondoggle
(ˈbuːnˌdɒɡ
ə
l)
—
vb
1.
(
intr
) to do futile and unnecessary work
—
n
2.
a futile and unnecessary project or work
[C20: said to have been coined by R. H. Link, American scoutmaster]
'boondoggler
—
n
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
boondoggle
1935, Amer.Eng., of uncertain origin, popularized during the New Deal as a contemptuous word for make-work projects for the unemployed. Said to have been a pioneer word for "gadget."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
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"If we can "
boondoggle
" ourselves out of this depression, that word is going to be enshrined in the hearts of the American people for years to come."
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
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