# Best way to say I'm Improvising a Half Assed Fix for a problem
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-say-im-improvising-a-half-assed-fix-for-a-problem/544597
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [June 26, 2010, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-say-im-improvising-a-half-assed-fix-for-a-problem/544597 "2010-06-26T14:16:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2010, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-say-im-improvising-a-half-assed-fix-for-a-problem/544597/1 "2010-06-26T14:16:37Z")
When I grew up Nigger Rig was the common expression. It wasn’t an attack on people of color.
It was simply an expression for sloppy and unprofessional repairs.
These days we can’t say that anymore.
Afro Engineering replaced it. That was acceptable in the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s.
Now that’s gone.
What’s ok? Jury rigging, jerry rigging? I’ve heard some say rigged?
**I did not include N Rigged or Afro Engineering in the poll because I already know they are not acceptable.**
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### Author:  [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-say-im-improvising-a-half-assed-fix-for-a-problem/544597/2 "2010-06-26T14:19:39Z")
A bodge.
[http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bodge](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bodge)
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### Author:  [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2010, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-say-im-improvising-a-half-assed-fix-for-a-problem/544597/3 "2010-06-26T14:25:34Z")
Kludge is my favorite, but I also use “jury rigged”.
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### Author:  [@chromaticity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chromaticity)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2010, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-say-im-improvising-a-half-assed-fix-for-a-problem/544597/4 "2010-06-26T14:43:06Z")
A hack is what I use.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2010, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-say-im-improvising-a-half-assed-fix-for-a-problem/544597/5 "2010-06-26T15:13:16Z")
I’ve always used jury rigged. Thinking about it, I have no idea why. I know that a jury can be rigged but that has nothing to do with the more common usage of the term.
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### Author:  [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2010, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-say-im-improvising-a-half-assed-fix-for-a-problem/544597/6 "2010-06-26T15:28:20Z")
Kludge is what I use.
You may think that other term was acceptable in the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s, but it wasn’t. Common use and acceptability are two different things.
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2010, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-say-im-improvising-a-half-assed-fix-for-a-problem/544597/7 "2010-06-26T15:31:12Z")
I’ve always used the expression half-assed. Not sure where it came. But, any half-hearted attempt to do something is half-assed.
Jerry rigged – I think refers to the Germans. Jerry was a common name for German soldiers in WWII. German mechanists are some of the finest in the world. I can’t imagine where the term jerry rigged came from.
jury rigged - no idea how that is associated with sloppy work
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### Author:  [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2010, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-say-im-improvising-a-half-assed-fix-for-a-problem/544597/8 "2010-06-26T15:31:33Z")
I’ve hear both jerry rigged and jury rigged, but I don’t think I’ve heard either as often as mickey moused.
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-say-im-improvising-a-half-assed-fix-for-a-problem/544597/9 "2010-06-26T15:37:46Z")
**correction** german machinists are the best in the world.
I don’t know why firefox changed it too mechanist. Never heard of that word before. Spellcheck can be a pain in the butt when it changes words.
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### Author:  [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-say-im-improvising-a-half-assed-fix-for-a-problem/544597/10 "2010-06-26T15:50:27Z")
[Wikipedia says that a “jury rig” is an improvised mast on a sailing ship](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jury_rig). The etymology of “jury” being used here in unclear.
I would suspect that either “jerry rigged” is a corruption of “jury rigged”.
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### Author:  [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-say-im-improvising-a-half-assed-fix-for-a-problem/544597/11 "2010-06-26T16:04:30Z")
My pawpaw always said “Jack-rigged”. I don’t know if that referred to someone he knew or it was just a nice way of saying “nigger rigged” because that’s what everyone else said in those days.
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### Author:  [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-say-im-improvising-a-half-assed-fix-for-a-problem/544597/12 "2010-06-26T16:07:46Z")
Kludge, although I’m not sure of the true pronunciation, now that I write it. That’s more for software though.
Jury-rigged I use. Wikipedia identifies it as a sailing-derived term ([Jury rigging - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jury-rig)) which is my understanding.
Jerry-rigged just sounds like you’re trying to insult Germans as well, although maybe you could use it to mean ‘precisely engineered’.
Wikipedia also suggests McGyver-ed.
On review- scooped by **Rysto**.
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### Author:  [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-say-im-improvising-a-half-assed-fix-for-a-problem/544597/13 "2010-06-26T17:00:30Z")
I say “Southern engineering.”
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### Author:  [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-say-im-improvising-a-half-assed-fix-for-a-problem/544597/14 "2010-06-26T17:51:07Z")
Personally I am fond of “did a MacGuyver on it”
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### Author:  [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2010, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-say-im-improvising-a-half-assed-fix-for-a-problem/544597/15 "2010-06-26T17:55:22Z")
I’ve used Ethno-engineering
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### Author:  [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2010, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-say-im-improvising-a-half-assed-fix-for-a-problem/544597/16 "2010-06-26T18:11:53Z")
“to cobble it together” or “cobble-job” is what we always said in mid-Michigan.
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### Author:  [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-say-im-improvising-a-half-assed-fix-for-a-problem/544597/17 "2010-06-26T18:22:08Z")
I’m fond of “MacGuyvered.”
I’ve also been known to use “rigged up,” and my cousin from California uses “Okie rigged.”
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### Author:  [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-say-im-improvising-a-half-assed-fix-for-a-problem/544597/18 "2010-06-26T19:51:42Z")
I will sometimes say “that’s a mighty fine example of redneck engineering.”
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### Author:  [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2010, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-say-im-improvising-a-half-assed-fix-for-a-problem/544597/19 "2010-06-26T20:40:42Z")
> [@Ace309](#):
>
> I’ve also been known to use “rigged up,” …
Yeah, me too, such as in “I rigged up a switch to (whatever)…” , which doesn’t necessarily show that the thing done is half-assed or improvised.
Just plain “rigged” too, such as in “He rigged it to do (this)…” Again, no quality of the work is referred to.
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### Author:  [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-say-im-improvising-a-half-assed-fix-for-a-problem/544597/20 "2010-06-26T20:44:47Z")
It’s jury rigged. Jerry built is a separate term, and I think the two got combined in some regional dialects, or else pronunciation was corrupted.
Kludge works too, although I think of that more as a noun, with jury rigged an adjective.
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