Bodge

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What's the exact definition of bodge?

-- Richard Manahan (rjcyclesk8@hotmail.com), December 28, 2000

Answers

Thanks for finally asking. I thought I was lacking in my English skills. I think it means build, make, or construct, but I only gather that from the context it's used in. You guess is as good as mine, bloke.

-- Tom Vogl (TJV1974@yahoo.com), December 29, 2000.

Yea I knew it basically meant to build, but I wanted to know the flavor of the word. I went and looked up bodge on Deja News to see various contexts in which the brits were using the word. I found out that it means to make or put together something crudely or jury rig something. That's similar to the word cobble, but bodge can also mean to take something apart. There's also the phrase "bodge job," which I take to mean crude, hasty, less than ideal workmanship.

-- Richard Manahan (rjcyclesk8@hotmail.com), December 29, 2000.

Yes, in current British useage it generally denotes consicuously poor workmanship. I don't know when it was first used in this sense, but in the 1890's, Jerome K Jerome's "Three Men in a Boat" tells of "Uncle Bodger's" attempts to hang a picture. Rather than hire a workman, he decides to save the money and do it himself, but enlists help from the entire family, servants and neighbours and spoils the rest of the room.

At one time, Bodgers in southern England were real craftsmen who fashioned furniture from natural materials - especially springy wood. Perhaps the machine age resulted in this craft being less esteemed.

-- Terry Barcock (terry.barcock@153.co.uk), January 03, 2002.


Bodge is my brother's nickname. I've called him it for nearly ten years and it has really stuck! His friends are known as 'The Bodge Gang!' uip!

-- Judge Mental (theboss@j-team.biz), April 09, 2002.

I am a Barry so I guess I'm a bit of a Bodge really! uip!

-- Barry Boy Dean! (barry@bexleycollege.ac.uk), June 16, 2002.


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