Jury-Rigged

American English has three related words for improvised work.

jury-rigged — “constructed or arranged in a makeshift fashion.” The term comes from sailing and is recorded from 1782.

jerry-rigged — “organized or constructed in a crude or improvised manner.” It is recorded from 1890. Its likeness to the other two probably helped it form.

jerry-built — “built cheaply and unsubstantially.”

Merriam-Webster notes that jury-rigged stresses doing what one can with the materials at hand. Jerry-built suggests poor quality.

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