What does bodge mean?
To bodge something is to assemble or repair it hastily, crudely, and without proper skill or materials, typically producing a result that is ugly or structurally dubious yet may still do the job. The word is chiefly British and informal, where phrases like 'a bodge job' are common shorthand for shoddy handiwork. Unlike 'botch', which implies outright failure, a bodge carries a hint of improvised resourcefulness — the repaired chair wobbles, but it holds. The person who habitually does such work can be called a bodger. American English tends toward equivalents such as jury-rigging or kludging. Whether used as a verb or a noun, bodge evokes a familiar domestic scene: the temporary fix that quietly becomes permanent.
To make or repair something in a rough, makeshift, or unskilled way, typically with whatever materials are available.
"They bodged a temporary ramp out of scrap timber."
Informal, chiefly British.
A piece of work done crudely or clumsily; a makeshift repair or construction.
"That shelf is such a bodge it's a wonder anything stays on it."
Informal, chiefly British.
Standard plural of the noun form.
"The engine bay was full of previous owners' bodges."
In Britain, a 'bodge job' is so culturally iconic there's even a word for the person who does it: a bodger.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bodge
The origin of 'bodge' is uncertain, though it has been connected to 'botch', meaning to spoil work through incompetence, with both words attested from around the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It became established in British English as a term for crude, makeshift workmanship, giving rise to the related noun 'bodger' for a worker who makes such repairs. Its precise linguistic lineage remains debated, so cognates cannot be stated with confidence.
Related word forms
How bodge is actually used
Chiefly British informal usage; in American English similar meanings are more often expressed by 'jury-rig' or 'kludge'. The connotation is of ingenuity under constraint rather than outright failure — a bodge usually works, just badly.
Easily confused with bodge
A botch is a complete failure that ruins the work, while a bodge is a crude, makeshift job that may still function despite being ugly or shoddy.