MacGyver
MacGyver, from the 1980s television character known for solving problems with everyday objects, means to improvise a solution using whatever materials are at hand.
The verb suggests resourcefulness and ingenuity under pressure: We MacGyvered a phone charger from a car battery and some wire.
The name has become a general term for creative problem-solving with unconventional tools.
Strong cloth-backed adhesive strip
- paperclipWire loop for pages
- Swiss Army knifeCompact folding tool kit
- rubber bandStretchable fastening loop
- gum wrapperFoil around chewing candy
bobby pin · shoelace · wire · matchstick · tin foil · toothpick · string · binder clip
Showing original thought
- ingeniousCleverly original in design
- cleverShowing mental quickness
- quick-thinkingMentally rapid, resourceful
- adaptableAble to adjust readily
creative · problem-solver · improviser · tinkerer · handy · self-reliant · versatile · practical
Clandestine government operative
- mulletDual-length haircut
- 1980sFourth-to-last twentieth-century decade
- TV seriesOngoing broadcast entertainment
- action heroFilm's combat-driven protagonist
nonviolent · humanitarian · bomb defusal · cold war · reboot · gadgeteer · lone wolf
duct tape
Strong cloth-backed adhesive strip
- paperclipWire loop for pages
- Swiss Army knifeCompact folding tool kit
- rubber bandStretchable fastening loop
gum wrapper · bobby pin · shoelace · wire · matchstick · tin foil · toothpick · string · binder clip · plastic bottle
inventive
Showing original thought
- ingeniousCleverly original in design
- cleverShowing mental quickness
- quick-thinkingMentally rapid, resourceful
adaptable · creative · problem-solver · improviser · tinkerer · handy · self-reliant · versatile · practical · unflappable
secret agent
Clandestine government operative
- mulletDual-length haircut
- 1980sFourth-to-last twentieth-century decade
- TV seriesOngoing broadcast entertainment
action hero · nonviolent · humanitarian · bomb defusal · cold war · reboot · gadgeteer · lone wolf
- 80sbig hair, mullets, shoulder pads, new wave, synth-pop
- 80s Pop CultureBack to the Future, E.T., Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones, The Breakfast Club
- Rebooted FranchisesSpider-Man, Batman, Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Ghostbusters
- TV CharactersHomer Simpson, Bart Simpson, Lisa Simpson, Marge Simpson, Maggie Simpson
- improvisemake do, wing it, ad-lib, jury-rig, cobble together
- 1985Live Aid, Back to the Future, The Breakfast Club, Gorbachev, WrestleMania
MacGyverhelpless
Unable to act independently
incompetent · bumbler · inept · damsel in distress · unhandy
MacGyverJames Bond
British intelligence agent
Rambo · Terminator · brute · bulldozer · Tony Stark
MacGyverRambo
Recklessly aggressive lone fighter
John Wick · Punisher · Dirty Harry · gun-toting · trigger-happy