What does boondoggling mean?
Boondoggling refers to the practice of engaging in wasteful, unnecessary, or pointless work, particularly when it involves the expenditure of public money on projects of dubious value. Derived from "boondoggle" — a word that emerged in American English in the early twentieth century — it is almost always used critically or derisively. A journalist might describe a half-finished government database as a product of boondoggling, while an employee might confess to boondoggling away an afternoon in unproductive meetings. The term belongs chiefly to informal register, appearing frequently in political commentary, editorials, and complaints about bureaucracy rather than in neutral reporting. Its connotations are firmly negative: boondoggling suggests not merely inefficiency but a certain cynicism, work done for show or funds spent to justify themselves rather than to achieve a real purpose. It remains a vivid and useful word for anyone commenting on waste, whether civic or corporate.
nounThe practice of carrying out unnecessary, wasteful, or pointless work, especially on public projects; the activity of engaging in a boondoggle.
- Wasteful, unnecessary, or pointless work or expenditure, especially of public money on grandiose projects.
- The activity of doing trivial or make-work tasks to appear busy.
"Critics accused the agency of boondoggling by pouring millions into a bridge that few commuters would ever use."
"Taxpayers grew weary of boondoggling on projects that delivered little beyond press conferences."
"He spent his last weeks at the company quietly boondoggling, attending meetings that accomplished nothing."
"Boondoggle" was popularized in the 1930s when New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia used it to mock make-work relief projects — and its true origin remains a genuine etymological mystery.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of boondoggling
"Boondoggle" first appeared in American English in the 1920s, apparently denoting a simple braided-leather handicraft, before being popularized in the 1930s as a term for wasteful make-work projects — notably through New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia's criticism of New Deal relief schemes. The deeper origin of the word is uncertain; it may have been coined whimsically, possibly by a scoutmaster named Robert Link, but this account is not definitively established. "Boondoggling" is simply the verbal noun formed from it.
Related word forms
How boondoggling is actually used
Informal and often derogatory. The word carries a strongly pejorative connotation, typically aimed at government spending or bureaucratic busywork. It is more common in American English than British English, though understood in both.
Easily confused with boondoggling
Boondocking refers to camping in remote areas without hookups or facilities, whereas boondoggling refers to wasteful or pointless work or spending.