noun / verb
boondoggle
BOON-dog-ul/ˈbuːndɑːɡl/
A pointless undertaking that wastes resources.
The unnecessary bridge is a boondoggle that pedestrians bypass on the level path.
Etymology
Boondoggle first named a braided Scout lanyard; the name may have been arbitrary. When publicly funded relief workers were criticized for making these all day, it became a contemptuous label for wasteful make-work projects.
In context
This is a hyper inflated construction project that doesn't need to be this big, big boondoggle. This should be cut in half in terms of how much is being spent for this.
More examples
- Critics called the unnecessary study a boondoggle.
- The committee boondoggled for months without producing a useful plan.
- Taxpayers refused to fund another costly boondoggle.
Forms
boondoggle · boondoggles · boondoggled · boondoggling
Similar words
- fiasco
- A fiasco is a conspicuous failure; a boondoggle particularly wastes resources.