boondoggle
noun
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Boondoggle Started With the Scouts
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. Over time, it developed the additional sense describing a wasteful or impractical project.
Examples of boondoggle in a Sentence
Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2024
This is not a boondoggle walk in the park for the inmates.
—Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for boondoggle 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'boondoggle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Boondoggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boondoggle. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
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