Heath Robinsonian

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word Heath Robinsonian. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word Heath Robinsonian, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say Heath Robinsonian in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word Heath Robinsonian you have here. The definition of the word Heath Robinsonian will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofHeath Robinsonian, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Etymology

From Heath Robinson +‎ -ian.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /hiːθɹɒbɪnˈsəʊnɪən/

Adjective

Heath Robinsonian (comparative more Heath Robinsonian, superlative most Heath Robinsonian)

  1. Elaborate and impractical.
    • 2011, Laurie R. King, Pirate King:
      Later, when I was not in quite such a vulnerable position, I decided that it was a ridiculously convoluted, Heath Robinsonian piece of machinery, a bit much even for Mycroft.
    • 2012, Christopher Clark, The Sleepwalkers, Penguin, published 2013, page 127:
      In the eyes of the anti-Bismarck fronde, the chancellor's remarkable web of transcontinental commitments looked less like a system than a creaking Heath-Robinsonian contraption, a flimsy joist-work of ‘plasters and patches’ designed to avoid the pressing choices that confronted the German Empire in an increasingly dangerous world.