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Boondoggle: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Boondoggle noun. Pointless, wasteful work or spending, usually paid for by others or the public.
How to say it
BOON-dog-ul/ˈbuːndɒɡ(ə)l/
3 syllables, stressed on the first (BOON).
Boondoggle in a sentence
Critics called the bridge to nowhere a hundred-million-pound boondoggle.
The ‘strategy retreat’ in the Bahamas was a boondoggle, and everyone knew it.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- waste
- white elephant
- folly
- gravy train
Where boondoggle comes from
American, from the 1930s; first a word for a scout’s plaited cord, its source is uncertain.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
The ‘strategy retreat’ in the Bahamas was a _____, and everyone knew it.
- featherbedding
- presenteeism
- boondoggle
Show the answer
boondoggle: The ‘strategy retreat’ in the Bahamas was a boondoggle, and everyone knew it.