Meaning

(UK, Ireland) To do a clumsy or inelegant job, usually as a temporary repair; mend, patch up, repair..

Definitions by Sense

1. (UK, Ireland) To do a clumsy or inelegant job, usually as a temporary repair; mend, patch up, repair.
2. To work green wood using traditional country methods; to perform the craft of a bodger.
3. A clumsy or inelegant job, usually a temporary repair; a patch, a repair.
4. (historical) The water in which a smith would quench items heated in a forge.
5. (South East England) A four-wheeled handcart used for transporting goods. Also, a homemade go-cart.
6. (slang, Northern Ireland) Insane, off the rails.

Example Sentences

We bodged again; as I have seen a swan

All the actions of his life are like so many things bodged in without any natural cadence or connexion at all.

Some cars were neglected, others bodged to keep them running with inevitable consequences

Do not be satisfied with a bodged job, set yourself professional goals and standards

His father, grandfather and countless generations before him had obtained a living from chair bodging in the solitude of the beech glades.

"Bodging is more a curiosity than a valid craft these days," says Don. "But experience in low-tech woodworking is also a good way for the beginner to start getting a feel for turning without having to make a huge investment in a modern lathe."

Which is no different than my chair bodging, in that I can go out into the woodland and do my work without having to be tied in to a village shop situation.

The simple tool above provides a low-tech bodge to help people locate missing friends and family in Christchurch following today's terrible earthquake.

Word Forms

• bodges
• bodging
• bodged
• more bodge
• most bodge

Synonyms for bodge

Related Words

When Should You Use Bodge?

Use bodge when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

Practice This Word

Frequently Asked Questions