boondoggle

[ boon-dog-uhl, -daw-guhl ]

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.

verb (used with object)

, boon·dog·gled, boon·dog·gling.

1. to deceive or attempt to deceive:

   to boondoggle investors into a low-interest scheme.

verb (used without object)

, boon·dog·gled, boon·dog·gling.

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

boondoggle

/ ˈbuːnˌdɒɡəl /

verb

1. intr to do futile and unnecessary work

noun

1. a futile and unnecessary project or work

Derived Forms

• ˈboonˌdoggler, noun

Other Words From

• boon·dog·gler noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of boondoggle¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of boondoggle¹

C20: said to have been coined by R. H. Link, American scoutmaster

Example Sentences

Congresswoman Maxine Waters, another early supporter, recently opposed the “boondoggle” saying it wasn’t worth the money.

From Los Angeles Times

For Patricia Meneses, the railway is an ecological tragedy and an impractical boondoggle that sucked resources from more-critical efforts like fighting crime in her native state of Chiapas, which has been consumed by a violent gang war.

From Los Angeles Times

Because of induced demand, this Sisyphean struggle against congestion is an expensive boondoggle.

From Slate

When the film finally premiered in competition here Thursday, it unsurprisingly polarized critics, who described it alternately as the incoherent boondoggle of a grandiose director well past his prime and an invigorating, late-life paean to the possibilities of cinema from one of the art form’s greatest practitioners.

From Los Angeles Times

“Instead of foisting the costs of this boondoggle project onto Californians, the state should invest in sustainable water solutions that promise to restore the Delta ecosystem, not destroy it,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parilla, executive director of the environmental advocacy group Restore the Delta.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

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