boondoggle
boondoggle Lexical Profile
boondoggle Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American A wasteful, impractical, or pointless project or activity that has the appearance of value, often funded by public money or corporate expense accounts.
"Critics dismissed the new municipal stadium as an expensive taxpayer-funded boondoggle."
North American A decorative lanyard, keychain, or ornament braided from strips of leather, cloth, or flat plastic lacing, traditionally made as a camp craft.
"At summer camp, the children spent rainy afternoons weaving colorful plastic boondoggles for their backpacks."
• verb
North American To waste time or money on an unnecessary, unproductive, or questionable project.
"The committee was accused of boondoggling for months while urgent infrastructure repairs went unaddressed."
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in 1929 by American Scoutmaster Robert H. Link as a name for braided leather or plastic cords worn by Boy Scouts. It entered political jargon in 1935 during the Great Depression when critics of the New Deal discovered public relief funds were being spent teaching unemployed workers how to make craft boondoggles.