Highflyer wrote:
"Carl / KG6YKL" wrote in message
newsfC9e.56373$lz2.17509@fed1read07...

RST Engineering wrote:


jury-rig solution


jury-rig is correct and is a nautical term meaning to make a temporary
repair using available materials to solve a problem.


Okay, this is way off topic but I have to know the history of this
expression. It is my understanding that the correct term is
"Jerry-rigged" or "Jerryrigged" which is based on the pejorative term
"Jerry" for Japanese, used during WWII. The way it was told to me is that
near the end of WWII Jerry (the Japanese) were badly beaten and much of
their equipment was non-operational. However the Japanese were very
resourceful at doing whatever it took to get things working. So people
started talking about "Jerry-rigging" things.


I guess consulting a dictionary was out of the question? Anyhow, it
goes back to way before WWII. It's old nautical slang.

The term from the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language says:
From jury-rig, jury-rigging, improved rigging on a ship, modeled on
jury-mast, temporary mast, perhaps untimely from Old French ajure, help,
from aider, to help.

The OED finds reference to jury mast as far back as the year 1616. The
first use of Jury rig is in 1788. The OED doesn't give credance to the
French derivation however, it also notes the unsupported suggestion that
it is a corruption of "injury".