BOONDOGGLE

PRONUNCIATION: (BOON-dog-uhl)

MEANING: noun: 1. A pointless project funded as a political favor.
2. A holiday trip to an exotic location, disguised as a business trip.
3. Braided cord, made of plastic strips, fabric, etc.
verb intr.: 1. To do useless or trivial work.
2. To go on a business trip in which the real purpose is relaxation or fun.
3. To braid plastic strips, fabric, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by scoutmaster Robert H. Link. Earliest documented use: 1929.

NOTES: The original boondoggle was a braided cord made by Boy Scouts. In 1935, a New York Times article quoted someone criticizing a New Deal program to train jobless to make handicrafts as a boondoggle. Since then this sense of the word has become more common.
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[noun (sense 3) is also known as "gimp," at least in parts of New England]
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BOOND-OGLE - a leer from 007 Agent Jaames

BOONTOGGLE - the wish-granting switch

BOON-FOGGLE - a miasm on the far-flung marshes