boondoggle

American  

[boon-dog-uhl, -daw-guhl] / ˈbunˌdɒg əl, -ˌdɔ gəl /

noun

1. a wasteful and worthless project undertaken for political, corporate, or personal gain, typically a government project funded by taxpayers.

   Is high-speed rail a valuable addition to infrastructure, or a boondoggle?

2. work of little or no value done merely to keep or look busy.

3. a product of simple manual skill, as a plaited leather cord for the neck or a knife sheath, made typically by a camper or a scout.

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verb (used with object)

boondoggled, boondoggling

1. to deceive or attempt to deceive.

   to boondoggle investors into a low-interest scheme.

verb (used without object)

boondoggled, boondoggling

1. to do work of little or no practical value merely to keep or look busy.

boondoggle British  

/ ˈbuːnˌdɒɡəl /

verb

1. (intr) to do futile and unnecessary work

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noun

1. a futile and unnecessary project or work

Usage

What does boondoggle mean? A boondoggle is a government project considered to have little purpose or value and to be a waste of taxpayer money.More generally, it can refer to any work done simply to look busy. These senses of the word are based on its original, literal meaning: a decorative but otherwise useless cord of braided leather or plastic (or another such handicraft) stereotypically made by Scouts.Boondoggle can also be used as a verb meaning to deceive. All senses of the word are primarily used in the U.S. and Canada.Example: Critics called the mayor’s proposal for a tech hub nothing more than a boondoggle to please his political donors.

Other Word Forms

• boondoggler noun

Etymology

Origin of boondoggle

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35; of unknown origin

Example Sentences

Organizers sought not only to remind the world that the Olympics were about joie de vivre, but also that the project didn’t need to be a $50 billion boondoggle.

From The Wall Street Journal

What we got instead was a colossal boondoggle.

From The Wall Street Journal

In its review, The Times described “Horizon” as “a massive boondoggle, a misguided and excruciatingly tedious cinematic experience.”

From Los Angeles Times

As often happens too, we can pinpoint the exact moment and exact dynamics when a policy boondoggle was born.

From The Wall Street Journal

And no rules at the Guardian, apparently, regarding outrageous boondoggles and ocean-going junkets.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• betrayal
• deceit
• disinformation
• duplicity
• falsehood
• fraud
• hypocrisy
• lying
• mendacity
• treachery
• trickery
• untruth