jerry-rigging (was: Re: racial slurs (LONG, now snipped somewhat))
Martin A. Mazur
Bryan...@msfc.nasa.gov (Bryan Walls) wrote:
>In article <49ouoo$r...@parlor.hiwaay.net>, Gerry Franks
><gdfr...@hiwaay.net> wrote:
>
>>>>Actually the term has to do with ingenuity and being able to make things
>>>>work / repair things even when you can't afford the proper tools or
>>>>equipment. I've also heard the term "gerry-rigged" which I personally
find
>>>>highly offensive. ;-)
>>
>>>Never heard the term, although the pun is pretty funny.
>>
"Jerry-rig" probably has nothing to do with race, and likely nothing to do
with nationality. It has been covered in a.u.e. umpteen million times. It is
probably a mishearing or mixture of two words that pre-date WWII by at least a
century. These are "jury-rig' and 'jerry-built'. You can probably look up both
of these in the FAQ, and their etymologies are certainly in any decent
dictionaries. "Jury-rig" is a nautical term, and it means to assemble, repair
or build for temporary use, usually because of necessity or emergency.
"Jerry-built" means something shoddily built. The more offensive "nigger-rig"
is not found in any dictionary I have, but seems to have a connotation more
along the lines of a sloppy kludge. My guess this term comes from the way poor
people in general have to rig things together (cars, tar-paper shacks) just to
get by, and has the added racist dimension. The engineering/computer
programming slang "kludge" (pronounced 'klooj') can have both the
"jerry-built" and "jury-rigged" meanings, but usually connotes the more
necessity-driven type of fix.
--
Martin A. Mazur | 2nd Century thoughts on MTV:
The Applied Research Laboratory | "There is no public entertainment which
The Pennsylvania State University | does not inflict spiritual damage"
| - Tertullian
John Wexler
think, quite recent. So, if "jerry-rigged" is a phrase in current use
(I've never come across it), then:
- it's not related to "jury-rigged"
- or else the "jerry" doesn't mean "German"
- or the phrase developed by some misunderstanding or mishearing.
If it is a combination of "jerry-built" and "jury-rigged" then again
there is some misunderstanding, because the phrases carry contradictory
implications. "Jury-rigged" means "done as well as possible with the
available materials after the purpose-built equipment has been lost or
destroyed". "Jerry-built" means "deliberately built as cheaply as possible,
regardless of quality and durability".
I like the idea that "jerry-built" refers to Jericho, whose walls fell
down at the mere blast of a trumpet. However, OED doesn't confirm it.
JW
Layne Thomas
singer for the Grateful Dead. i.e. "Rigged on the fly" or "Rigged in the
middle of doing something else".
not that I'm serious, but you people are getting way too serious.
-Layne
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Callie
(someone, perhaps named Gerry, long ago wrote:)
>>>>Actually the term has to do with ingenuity and
>>>>being able to make things
>>>>work/repair things even when you can't afford the proper tools or
>>>>equipment.
>>>>I've also heard the term "gerry-rigged" which I personally find
>>>>highly offensive. ;-)
>>
>>>Never heard the term, although the pun is pretty funny.
>>Not sure, but I think "gerry-rigged" may have been an
>>alternative for people who didn't want to use the N term.
>>
>Actually, I think it is older. I grew up with jury-rigged as a term with
>the same meaning. I believe both of these terms are variation on
>jerry-rigged. I'm pretty sure it comes from the British slang term for
>Germans.
Other way around ... jerry-rigged was the derogatory from jury-rigged,
which didn't start out as derogatory, merely descriptive.
From the OED, 1933 version:
JURY-MAST ... a temporary mast put up to replace one broken or carried
away (in a storm) dates from 1666
JURY-XXXX ... used in combination with other words to indicate a temporary
or makeshift piece of equipment.
A ship that was jury-rigged would be one that was using temporary rigging
and sail sets instead of the full shipyard-issue set, for whatever reason.
It was often used when ships were being moved short distances in fair
weather - there is a reference to specifiying that the ships be jury-rigged
for delivery.
>Also, something with is jerry-built is built cheaply and unsubstantially.
>My dictionary says the origin is unknown. So maybe jerry-rigging came from
>the same unknown source.
Jerry-built dates from 1869, as earliest written use. Origin unknown, but
it predates several wars with Germany. May have come from the name of a
builder, whose name "Jerry" was close enough to "jury" to make the switch
possible.
>I'm cross-posting this to alt.usage.english. I'll bet you didn't think
>anyone could do that but Dan Harper!
Callie
Cal...@writepage.com | The Write Page for genre fiction:
http://www.writepage.com | All the books that are fun to read.
Bryan Walls
>>>Actually the term has to do with ingenuity and being able to make things
>>>work / repair things even when you can't afford the proper tools or
>>>equipment. I've also heard the term "gerry-rigged" which I personally find
>>>highly offensive. ;-)
>
>>Never heard the term, although the pun is pretty funny.
>
>Not sure, but I think "gerry-rigged" may have been an alternative for people
>who didn't want to use the N term.
>
Actually, I think it is older. I grew up with jury-rigged as a term with
the same meaning. I believe both of these terms are variation on
jerry-rigged. I'm pretty sure it comes from the British slang term for
Germans. My assumption is that the term came from wartime, as something of
a synonym for "booby trap"; you wouldn't want to use a piece of machinery
that had been rigged by the Jerries. The definition has changed with
usage. The meaning I've always understood for all versions is something
that has been cobbled together in such a way as to work, but with no
guaranteed reliance -- stuck together with bailing wire and duct tape. I
don't consider either term particularly complementary, though us Engineers
tend to be impressed with MacGuyver-style ingenuity. That it was intended
to be a put-down is demonstrated by the connection to an ethnic slur! I
assume the jury-rig variation came from the similarity in sound, and the
fact that juries can, and sometimes are, rigged (or fixed).
On a side-line, jerry cans are the military style gas cans. The term came
from the gas cans used by the Germans which were much superior to the ones
used by the British military early in WWII. The German cans became prized
possessions. I have heard that captured cans were sent back to England
with orders to "make cans like these". Cans came back which were identical
down to the German Eagles... I have no documentation for the story, or
promises on the accuracy of the above.
Also, something with is jerry-built is built cheaply and unsubstantially.
My dictionary says the origin is unknown. So maybe jerry-rigging came from
the same unknown source.
I'm cross-posting this to alt.usage.english. I'll bet you didn't think
anyone could do that but Dan Harper!
--
Bryan Walls My words are not NASA policy.
Bryan...@msfc.nasa.gov (205)544-3311voice,544-5841fax
Nik Simpson
Bryan Walls <Bryan...@msfc.nasa.gov> wrote:
>In article <49ouoo$r...@parlor.hiwaay.net>, Gerry Franks
><gdfr...@hiwaay.net> wrote:
>
>>>>Actually the term has to do with ingenuity and being able to make things
>>>>work / repair things even when you can't afford the proper tools or
>>>>equipment. I've also heard the term "gerry-rigged" which I personally find
>>>>highly offensive. ;-)
>>
>>>Never heard the term, although the pun is pretty funny.
>>
>>Not sure, but I think "gerry-rigged" may have been an alternative for people
>>who didn't want to use the N term.
>>
>Actually, I think it is older. I grew up with jury-rigged as a term with
>the same meaning. I believe both of these terms are variation on
>jerry-rigged. I'm pretty sure it comes from the British slang term for
>Germans. My assumption is that the term came from wartime, as something of
Actually, the term jury-rigged is a nautical term. When a sailing ship lost
one of its masts in bad weather or battle, a "Jury-rig" would be created,
this was basically anything you could lash together as replacement for the
mast.
PS. My mother aways said I was a mine of useless information.
--
|--------------------------------------------------|
| Nik Simpson Mail : ndsi...@ingr.com |
| Intergraph Computer Systems |
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Daan Sandee
|> "Jury-rigged" has a long history. "Jerry" as slang for "German" is, I
|> think, quite recent. So, if "jerry-rigged" is a phrase in current use
|> (I've never come across it), then:
We get this one every few months on a.u.e.
(1) "jury", as in "jury rig" (naut.) is probably from French.
(2) "jerry", as in "jerry-built", is British slang, orig.unkn., somewhere
early in this century, and unconnected with "Jerry" = "German".
|> - it's not related to "jury-rigged"
Right.
|> - or else the "jerry" doesn't mean "German"
It does, but separately.
|> - or the phrase developed by some misunderstanding or mishearing.
|> If it is a combination of "jerry-built" and "jury-rigged" then again
|> there is some misunderstanding, because the phrases carry contradictory
|> implications. "Jury-rigged" means "done as well as possible with the
|> available materials after the purpose-built equipment has been lost or
|> destroyed". "Jerry-built" means "deliberately built as cheaply as possible,
|> regardless of quality and durability".
Right.
Daan Sandee san...@think.com
Cambridge, MA
Rainer Thonnes
Bryan...@msfc.nasa.gov (Bryan Walls) writes:
> >
> I grew up with jury-rigged as a term with
> the same meaning. I believe both of these terms are variation on
> usage. The meaning I've always understood for all versions is something
> that has been cobbled together in such a way as to work, but with no
> guaranteed reliance -- stuck together with bailing wire and duct tape.
The rig of a sailing boat is - roughly - its sail configuration. After a
major mishap such as the mast breaking, the crew will try to concoct a
jury rig, in which any available spar is somehow made to stand up as a mast,
so that at least a scrap of sail can be set to allow the boat to sail to
where proper repairs can be effected.