kluge

See also: Kluge

English

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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kluːd͡ʒ/
• Rhymes: -uːdʒ

Noun

kluge (plural kluges)

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

Usage notes

• Today, kluge and kludge are often used as alternative spellings of the same word, although a distinction in usage can perhaps be detected: in the UK, the connotation of kludge is almost wholly negative (as befits its alleged derivation), while US usage of kluge, following its alleged German derivation, admits some fondness or admiration for the cleverness or functionality underlying a working klu(d)ge.

Synonyms

• (something that should not work but does): see Thesaurus:workaround

Verb

kluge (third-person singular simple present kluges, present participle kluging, simple past and past participle kluged)

1. Alternative form of kludge

References

Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.

Anagrams

• kugel

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkluːɡə/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

kluge

1. inflection of klug:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular