kludge

English

Alternative forms

cludge, kluge

Etymology

Perhaps from British military slang, possibly based on a Scots word kludge or kludgie (“common toilet”), or perhaps from German klug (“clever”). Alternatively, possibly related to Polish klucz (“a key, a hint, a main point”) and Russian ключ (ključ, “key, clue”).

Alternatively, perhaps from (a form related to) Germanic words such as Dutch Low Saxon klütje (“(little) dumpling, clod”), Dutch kluit(je) or Jutland Danish klyt (“piece of bad workmanship, klud(g)e”); compare and standard Danish kludder (“mess, disorder”). (Compare klutz.)

There is evidence that kluge (which see) was once a separate word with similar meaning but separate derivation, but the spelling kludge was widely popularized in the US by a 1962 Datamation article on "How to Design a Kludge", and since then the two words have often been used as alternative spellings of each other.

According to the OED, an "invented word" influenced by bodge and fudge.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /klʌd͡ʒ/, /kluːd͡ʒ/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Rhymes: -ʌdʒ, -uːdʒ

Noun

kludge (plural kludges)

(informal, electronics, engineering) An improvised device, typically crudely constructed to test the validity of a principle before doing a finished design.
(informal) Any construction or practice, typically crude yet effective, designed to solve a problem temporarily or expediently.
(informal, computing) An amalgamated mass of unrelated parts.
(informal, computing) A badly written or makeshift piece of software; a hack.

Usage notes

Today, kluge and kludge are often used as alternative spellings of the same word, although a distinction in usage can perhaps be detected: in the UK, the connotation of kludge is almost wholly negative (as befits its alleged derivation), while US usage of kluge, following its alleged German derivation, admits some fondness or admiration for the cleverness or functionality underlying a working klu(d)ge.