JERRY-BUILT


Meaning of JERRY-BUILT in English

ˈ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ adjective

Etymology: jerry probably from Jerry, nickname for Jeremy & Jeremiah

1. : built cheaply and unsubstantially of poor or insufficient materials

jerry-built wharves

buying sagging old houses or jerry-built new ones — Vera Connolly

mean-looking little houses, very jerry-built — John Morris

600 acres of jerry-built shacks — Emory Ross

the thin walls of the jerry-built house — Virginia Woolf

2. : carelessly or hastily put together : constructed without due thought or care : unsound in planning or execution : flimsy ; often : constructed or devised at haphazard

jerry-built tax legislation — New York Times

the political empire of Rome became more and more jerry-built — Weston La Barre

the movie is a particularly unsatisfying, jerry-built affair — Manny Farber

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.