Merriam-Webster Word of the Day - Boondoggle

WORD OF THE DAY June 7, 2018       boondoggle    noun | BOON-dah-gul     Definition   1 : a braided cord worn by Boy Scouts as a neckerchief slide, hatband, or ornament   2 : a wasteful or impractical project or activity often involving graft   Scroll down for more about boondoggle      TRENDING NOW: clemency suborn abhorrent embolization SEE ALL      PEOPLE ARE READING   10 Words from Pennsylvania German     The Strange Story of 'Lumber'     The Problems with 'Very'     8 Words for Really Big Things         WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE   Yearbook Superlatives Quiz   Is that your picture under "Largest Vocabulary"?     PLAY NOW     Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try!  TAKE ME THERE         Did You Know?   When boondoggle popped up in the early 1900s, lots of people tried to explain where the word came from. One theory traced it to an Ozarkian word for "gadget," while another related it to the Tagalog word that gave us boondocks. Another hypothesis suggested that boondoggle came from the name of leather toys Daniel Boone supposedly made for his dog. But the only theory that is supported by evidence is much simpler. In the 1920s, Robert Link, a scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts of America, apparently coined the word to name the braided leather cords made and worn by scouts. The word came to prominence when such a boondoggle was presented to the Prince of Wales at the 1929 World Jamboree, and it's been with us ever since.     Examples of BOONDOGGLE   "It may be an urban legend that the Pentagon spent $600 on a hammer in the 1980s, but it's no secret that the Department of Defense has at times acquired a well-deserved reputation for boondoggles and profligate spending." — The National Review, 16 Oct. 2017   "Conservatives often reflexively dismiss infrastructure spending as a boondoggle, and liberals, perhaps in reaction, often reflexively defend it, no matter how wasteful." — Jim Surowiecki, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2017   Test Your Vocabulary   What is the name for a cord or strap that holds something, like a key or whistle, and is usually worn around the neck?   VIEW THE ANSWER           MERCH     Show Your Wordie Pride!   New swag now available — featuring our newly added words welp and wordie   CHECK OUT OUR SELECTION

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