jerry-built

jerry-built

See also: jerrybuilt and jerry built

English

Etymology

Unknown; there are many theories.[1][2]

Adjective

jerry-built

1. Built cheaply and shoddily.
   • 1832, Liverpool Mercury, ‘…members of the Bluebell Club, the Jerry-Building society, &c…’ (via https://theprioryandthecastironshore.wordpress.com/2017/07/06/jerry-builder-origin-of-the-term/)
   • 1859, August 6, Albany Fonblanque, Junr., Once a Week, article Sebastopol Villa:

     He had tried other building speculations, had run up other “jerry-built” houses, and had failed utterly, hopelessly.

   • 1859, L. B. E., Cottoniron; a Poem, part 1, canto 3:

     Reigns supreme for jerry-built
     Houses tricked out with gorgeous gilt,
     Like cakes o' gingerbread, that crumble,
     And in another century 'll tumble

Derived terms

• jerry-rigged

Related terms

• jerry-build
• jerry-builder / jerrybuilder

Translations

built cheaply

Arabic: please add this translation if you can Chinese: Mandarin: 偷工減料建成的／偷工减料建成的 (tōugōngjiǎnliào jiànchéng de) Esperanto: please add this translation if you can Finnish: juosten kustu French: vite fait (fr), bâclé (fr) German: zusammengepfuscht (slang), stümperhaft gebaut, schlampig gebaut Russian: please add this translation if you can Serbo-Croatian: sklepan (sh) m Spanish: please add this translation if you can

See also

• jury-rigged
• scratch-built
• shoddy

References

1. The Phrase Finder
2. https://theprioryandthecastironshore.wordpress.com/2017/07/06/jerry-builder-origin-of-the-term/