What is Jerry-built?
1.
Something poorly built is “jerry-built.”
Boy......that hot rod is a piece of junk!
Sure is jerry-built!!
2.
1869, Eng. dialect jerry "bad, defective," a pejorative use of the male nickname Jerry (a popular form of Jeremy), or from naut. slang jury "temporary," which came to be used of all sorts of makeshift and inferior objects.
Note: "Jury Rigged" is a temporary solution done with materials at hand (and can be considered clever), while "Jerry Rigged" (or "Jerry Built") is a poorly made permanent construction, and has no positive connotations.
Those pre-fabricated houses built by the contractor with the lowest bid are probably jerry-built.
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