kludge

or kluge

[klooj]

noun Computer Slang.

a software or hardware configuration that, while inelegant, inefficient, clumsy, or patched together, succeeds in solving a specific problem or performing a particular task.

Origin of kludge

First recorded in 1960–65; expressive coinage

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for kludge

Contemporary Examples of kludge

The sous vide required a vacuum sealer (you can kludge it with plastic bags and a straw, but I am not that dedicated).
The 2012 Holiday Kitchen Gift Guide
Megan McArdle
December 13, 2012
Kludge did not arise by accident, and it will take something more than mere disapproval to reduce and replace it.
America's Kludgeocracy Democracy
David Frum
December 11, 2012

Word Origin and History for kludge

1962, noun and verb, U.S. slang, fanciful coinage by U.S. author Jackson W. Granholm (b.1921). Related: Kludgy.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper