boondoggle

IPA/ˈbuːndɒɡl/
KK[bˌundˈɑɡəl]IPA/ˈbuːndɑːɡl/

boondoggle — noun

  • boondogglesingular
  • boondogglesplural

1. a large project that squanders public money and achieves little of real use

1.名詞C1
釋義

a large project that squanders public money and achieves little of real use

例句

Minh proposed building a new city hall, but voters called it a costly boondoggle.

pattern: called [something] a boondoggle

The high-speed rail project turned into a boondoggle with years of delays and rising costs.

collocation: turned into a boondoggle

同義詞
  • waste

    broader term; boondoggle implies a specific project that wastes money on a large scale

  • white elephant

    emphasizes a project that is expensive to maintain and has no practical use

  • scam

    implies fraud or dishonest intent, which boondoggle does not necessarily suggest

反義詞
  • bargain

    something bought cheaply and worth more than its cost

  • success

    a project that achieves its goals efficiently

文法句型

a boondoggle

boondoggles

用法筆記

Commonly modified by words such as 'costly', 'government', or 'taxpayer-funded'. Almost always used to criticize a project, especially one backed by public money.

常見錯誤

❌The broken office chair was a boondoggle.
✅The cancelled highway project was a boondoggle.
💡boondoggle describes a large-scale project, not a small everyday item.