jugaad
A frugal, improvised solution — a hack, workaround or clever fix made with whatever is to hand.
Definitions
A frugal, improvised solution — a hack, workaround or clever fix made with whatever is to hand. From Hindi जुगाड़ (also Punjabi, Urdu), originally referring to a makeshift vehicle cobbled together from a diesel pump and a cart chassis. Now one of the most iconic Indian English words in global business writing: there is a whole management-school literature analysing "jugaad innovation" as a uniquely South Asian style of frugal entrepreneurship. Used affectionately ("nice jugaad!") for any creative shortcut, and occasionally critically when the workaround is too obviously bodged together. Carries genuine cultural pride in resourcefulness under constraint.
The wifi router died but my cousin did some jugaad with a USB tether and an old phone — works perfectly now.
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Other words near "jugaad" (J)
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Related terms
Semantically related
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(India, informal) A person who finds quick, clever, or low-cost solutions to problems using limited resources; a life-hacker or resourceful fixer.
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