MacGyvering
Resourceful makeshift solutions
MacGyvering is improvising a solution using whatever materials are at hand, often in creative or unconventional ways.
The term comes from the 1980s TV character MacGyver, known for escaping dire situations with duct tape, paperclips, and ingenuity rather than weapons or special equipment: I MacGyvered a phone stand out of binder clips.
The word suggests resourcefulness under constraint—making do when proper tools aren't available.
Improvise temporary repair
- cobbleWorn stone for paths
- kludgeAwkward but functional solution
- rigEquipment arrangement or vehicle
- hackShortcut or breach
tinker · contrive · fashion · patch · make-do · scrounge · adapt · modify
Clever, original thinking
- clevernessMental quickness and skill
- inventivenessCapacity for original creation
- creativityCapacity for original thought
- innovationCreating something original
quick-thinking · adaptability · problem-solving · self-reliance · shrewdness · cunning · astuteness · savviness
jury-rig
Improvise temporary repair
hack · tinker · contrive · fashion · patch · make-do · scrounge · adapt · modify · rework
ingenuity
Clever, original thinking
- clevernessMental quickness and skill
- inventivenessCapacity for original creation
- creativityCapacity for original thought
innovation · quick-thinking · adaptability · problem-solving · self-reliance · shrewdness · cunning · astuteness · savviness · scrappiness
- Resourcefulnessresourcefulness, ingenuity, cleverness, inventiveness, problem-solving
- creative engineeringprototyping, brainstorming, design thinking, modular design, improvisation