Boondoggle
/ˈbuːndɒɡl̩/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A braided ring to hold a neckerchief.
- 2 work of little or no value done merely to look busy wordnet
- 3 A waste of time or money; a pointless activity. Canada, US, figuratively, usually
"Opponents consider this another billion-dollar government boondoggle."
- 4 A non-work trip away from a research station. slang
"A non-work excursion away from the station in US Antarctic English is a “boondoggle”, or a “jolly” for the Britons."
Verb
- 1 To waste time on a pointless activity. intransitive
- 2 do useless, wasteful, or trivial work wordnet
Example
More examples"The project is over budget and unnecessary. It is a complete boondoggle."
Etymology
Coined by American scout leader Robert H. Link in 1929; alternatively “boon doggle”. Compare woggle of similar sense, which is attested in the same period. In the sense of a “wasteful government program”, popularized in 1935 by The New York Times, in reference to New Deal programs which were claimed to feature people making such braids.