jerry-built

English

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jerry-built

Where it comes from

Unknown; there are many theories. I was led to believe it referred to houses built by German pow’s See jerry (possibly etymologically related).

adjective

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/)

Translations

Every language

adj built cheaply

中文	偷工減料建成的 /偷工减料建成的 tōugōngjiǎnliào jiànchéng de, 豆腐渣 dòufuzhā
Français	vite fait, bâclé
Deutsch	zusammengepfuscht, stümperhaft gebaut, schlampig gebaut

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MLA

"jerry-built." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/jerry-built. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

jerry-built. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/jerry-built

Chicago

"jerry-built." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/jerry-built.

BibTeX

@misc{jerry_built_2026,
  title = {jerry-built},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/jerry-built},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}