jury-rig

[ joor-ee-rig ]

noun

1. Nautical. a temporary rig to replace a permanent rig that has been disabled, lost overboard, etc.
2. any makeshift arrangement of machinery or the like.

verb (used with object)

, ju·ry-rigged, ju·ry-rig·ging.

1. to assemble quickly or from whatever is at hand, especially for temporary use:

   to jury-rig stage lights using automobile headlights.

2. Nautical. to replace (a rudder, mast, etc.) with a jury-rig:

   We jury-rigged a fore-topmast after the storm had snapped ours off.

Word History and Origins

Origin of jury-rig¹

First recorded in 1840–50; jury ²( def ) + rig ( def )

Example Sentences

After being stuck there for weeks, he improvised a daring escape, using parts of his own plane to jury-rig another B-17 that had crashed nearby, then flying to an American base in Italy.

From New York Times

So Barnsdall improvised, pushing two Wright-designed tables together to jury-rig a stand for it, asserting herself in the space.

From Los Angeles Times

Taylor plays Inez, a young Harlem fast talker who decides to jury-rig a family by any means necessary.

From Washington Post

But this year, Memorial was forced to jury-rig the tribute and break it into small gatherings, after the authorities banned the daylong reading planned for Saturday at Lubyanka, which typically attracts thousands of attendees.

From New York Times

The show is in love with the jury-rig and engineering kludge; the Season 2 finale, involving an international crisis on the moon base, includes what has to be TV’s most emotionally devastating use of duct tape.

From New York Times