I. ˈfəj verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: probably alteration of fadge (II)
intransitive verb
1. archaic : to work out : result
we will see how this will fudge — Sir Walter Scott
2.
a. : to act dishonestly : cheat ; specifically : to move a taw forward beyond the proper limits when starting to shoot in a game of marbles
you fudged a mile — W.D.Steele
b. : to fail to live up to something : welsh
a man who would fudge on his oath of office — Harold Benjamin
3. : to insert a last-minute newspaper item
4. : to move slowly or cautiously
you keep fudging along — K.M.Dodson
5. : to avoid commitment : hedge
we object to that kind of fudging off and whitewashing — R.E.Danielson
transitive verb
1.
a. : to devise as a substitute : contrive without adequate basis : fake
it is not necessary to fudge anecdotes when there are so many of them — A.J.Liebling
b. : embellish , distort
used to fudge the accounts to the credit of the latter — J.V.DeMorgan
c. : to spoil the line of : blur
the outlines of lips and nostrils had been fudged in the drawing — Oliver La Farge
2. : to squeeze in belatedly : interpolate ; specifically : to insert (a news item) at the last minute
3. : to fail to come to grips with : dodge
has too often blessed war, condoned injustice, fudged the racial issue, and shared the profits of acquiescence — M.A.Kapp
II. noun
( -s )
1. : a piece of foolish nonsense : bunkum , twaddle — often used interjectionally to express annoyance, disappointment, or disbelief
oh, fudge , she says they can't come
2. : an item (as a news flash received too late for plating) typeset and inserted directly on the printing press — compare stop press
3. : a soft candy made typically of sugar, milk, butter, and chocolate cooked together and beaten to a creamy consistency
4. : russian calf
III. noun
: something that is fudged ; especially : a bending of rules or a compromise
room for fudge in the vague assignment