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jerry-rigged

/ˈʤɛri-rɪɡd/
IPA guide

Something that's shoddily built using the cheapest possible materials is jerry-rigged.

If the climbing structure you build for your cat is held together with duct tape and staples instead of screws and nails, you can describe it as jerry-rigged (and you can also expect it to collapse within a week). This term comes from the nautical jury-rigged, derived from the Middle English jory, "improvised," and rig, or "sail." The jerry version dates from the 19th century and a Liverpool slang meaning of the name Jerry, "defective."

Definitions of jerry-rigged
  1. adjective
    cheap and poorly built
    synonyms: cheapjack, shoddy, tawdry
    inferior
    of low or inferior quality
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