# To MacGyver...?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-macgyver/846692>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 20, 2020, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-macgyver/846692 "2020-01-20T07:13:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Crossbreed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@Crossbreed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crossbreed)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-macgyver/846692/1 "2020-01-20T07:13:42Z")

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Does anyone recall the real French-based word that describes MacGyver’s skill set?

It was like re…age, ra…age or de…age, but I can’t remember it.

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**Author:** ![Crossbreed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@Crossbreed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crossbreed)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-macgyver/846692/2 "2020-01-20T07:16:08Z")

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I found it. Bricolage.

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**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-macgyver/846692/3 "2020-01-20T09:50:40Z")

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Nah, I’m good with “MacGyvering” as the verb. His name is thoroughly synonymous with that particular aptitude.

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**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-macgyver/846692/4 "2020-01-20T13:40:08Z")

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Claptrap and kludgery, auf Anglais.

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**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-macgyver/846692/5 "2020-01-20T14:36:50Z")

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> [@Crossbreed](#):
>
> I found it. Bricolage.

Well, bricoler means tinkering or repairing stuff in general ; but it typically involves more bona fide tools than MacGuyver had on hand in the typical episode.  
Other options would be : débrouillardise (lit. “unfogging ability”) or its synonym système D. Making do with what you’ve got is “se démerder/débrouiller” (the first meaning “to unbeshit oneself”. French is a beautiful language :))

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Crossbreed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@Crossbreed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crossbreed)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-macgyver/846692/6 "2020-01-20T21:48:59Z")

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> [@Squink](#):
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> Claptrap and kludgery, auf Anglais.

I was thinking makeshift, re-purpose, improvise, etc.

> [@Kobal2](#):
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> Well, bricoler means tinkering or repairing stuff in general ; but it typically involves more bona fide tools than MacGuyver had on hand in the typical episode…

According to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bricolage), bricolage took on this specific meaning when it was borrowed into English.

Wiktionary (English) gives the definitions,  
[ol]  
[li]Construction using whatever was available at the time.[/li][li]Something constructed using whatever was available at the time.[/li][/ol]