• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / How Did the Term “Jury-Rigged” For a Temporary Repair Originate and What Does the Phrase Mean?

How Did the Term “Jury-Rigged” For a Temporary Repair Originate and What Does the Phrase Mean?

March 8, 2020 by Karen Hill

In the seventeenth century, when a ship’s mast was damaged at sea, a “jury mast” was rigged to hold the sail until the replacement could be found.

Because this was a critical situation the repairs had to be done within a day, or in French un jour, which in this case is the origin of “jury”.

Something jury-rigged is a temporary repair and has nothing to do with “jerry-built,” which means permanent bad work.

The term “jury-rigged” often refers to a temporary repair with whatever is at hand.

Related Facts

  • How do lawyers research members of a jury before deciding whether to challenge them?
  • What Is a “Grand Jury” and Why Was the Grand Jury Dropped in Great Britain?
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed the World
  • Where does the name “Tom and Jerry” come from and What does Tom and Jerry mean?
  • How do I make my own temporary tattoo at home?
  • Where do Germs, Bacteria, and Viruses come from and How do they make us sick?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where Did the Term “Swashbuckler” Come From and What Does the Phrase “Wide Berth” Mean?
Next Post: Where Did the Word “Picket” Come From and What Does Picket Mean in French? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy