🚀 go-pugleaf

Yesterday's New York Times had a headline in which the word "jury-rigged" was
used.  I've seen (and heard) that usage also by some less skilled speakers and
writers, but I understand that the word meaning "improvised" is "jerry-rigged,"
referring to the skill shown by WWI German soldiers (jerries) at mechanical
improvisation towards the end of the war.  The forms "jerry-built" and
"jerry-can" are of similar provenance.  Does anyone have information on the
source of "jury-rigged," besides the obvious parallel to "jury-rigging," which
has no semantic connection with "mechanical improvisation?"  Or on its current
acceptance outside of colloquial speech?

By the way, I just noticed that even the spelling-checker (DECSpell) that I
use from EVE doesn't recognize the "jerry-" forms but does accept the "jury-"
forms, which may raise questions of standards-compliance about Digital
Equipment Corporation.

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          |*  Herbert Stahlke                           *| 
          |*  Professor of English                      *| 
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