Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/12/84; site mit-hermes.ARPA Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!harvard!godot!mit-eddie!mit-hermes!jpexg From: jpexg@mit-hermes.ARPA (John Purbrick) Newsgroups: net.books,net.nlang Subject: Re: Kludge and dictionaries Message-ID: <2314@mit-hermes.ARPA> Date: Wed, 6-Mar-85 13:59:43 EST Article-I.D.: mit-herm.2314 Posted: Wed Mar 6 13:59:43 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 9-Mar-85 20:11:46 EST References: <906@ratex.UUCP> <220@vaxwaller.UUCP> Organization: The MIT AI Lab, Cambridge, MA Lines: 39 Xref: linus net.books:1426 net.nlang:2336 > > But what dictionaries define the word kludge? (I'm not even sure > how to spell it because I can't find it in any dictionaries. Oddly enough I have a friend who wrote to Webster's (actually the G.&C. Merriam Co.) a few years back concerning the use of "kluge" (sic) as a verb and the adjective "kludgy" or "klugy". Here's part of their reply: ..... _Kluge_ is defined in one of our latest publications, "6000 Words: A Supplement to Webster's Third New International Dictionary", as follows: kludge also kluge \'kluj <2 dots over the u>\ n, [origin unknown]: a system and esp. a computer system made up of components that are poorly matched or were orig. intended for some other use. The differences in spelling, part of speech, and pronunciation make your citational contributions valuable. The evidence in our files greatly favors the _kludge_ spelling and the noun usage. Until now we were unaware of the the pronunciation \'kluje <2 dots over u, accent over e>\ although a recent citation containing the spelling _kludgy_ implies it. Our pronunciation editor suggests that the \kluje\ pronunciation might be restricted to adjectival use in analogy to many other adjectival pronunciations ending in \e\. ........ Sincerely yours, etc. (end of quote) I have heard the suggestion that "kludge" derives from the name of the Kluge printing machinery company, whose products (at least one of which is in student hands here at MIT) are of fearsome complexity. Note that Steven Levy, in "Hackers", spells it "kluge", but he probably collected his material orally and therefore had no way to check the spelling. John Purbrick decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!mit-hermes!jpexg jpexg@mit-hermes.ARPA