kludge

jargon /kluhj/ (From the old Scots "kludgie" meaning an

outside toilet) A Scottish engineering term for anything added

in an ad hoc (and possibly unhygenic!) manner. At some point

during the Second World War, Scottish engineers met Americans

and the meaning, spelling and pronunciation of kludge became

confused with that of "kluge".

The spelling "kludge" was apparently popularised by the

"Datamation" cited below which defined it as "An ill-assorted

collection of poorly matching parts, forming a distressing

whole."

The result of this tangled history is a mess; in 1993, many

(perhaps even most) hackers pronounce the word /klooj/ but

spell it "kludge" (compare the pronunciation drift of mung).

Some observers consider this appropriate in view of its

meaning.

["How to Design a Kludge", Jackson Granholme, Datamation,

February 1962, pp. 30-31].

[Jargon File]

(1998-12-09)