Rube Goldberg machine
Absurdly complex device
A Rube Goldberg machine is a contraption that accomplishes a simple task through an absurdly complicated chain of actions—a ball rolls down a ramp, tips a lever, releases a hammer, which cracks an egg into a pan.
Named after the American cartoonist who drew such devices, the term describes any overly elaborate system for achieving something straightforward: Their approval process is a Rube Goldberg machine of committees and sign-offs.
- domino effectSequential causation phenomenon
- chain reactionSelf-sustaining causal sequence
- cause and effectHow events produce results
- complexityState of being complicated
- kludgeAwkward but functional solution
overengineering · whimsical design · invention · mechanism · absurdity · apparatus · impracticality · device · interconnectivity · automaton · contraption · feedback loops · gears · cartoons · satire · levers · parody · educational tools
Rube Goldberg machineshortcut
Quicker alternative path
direct approach · simple machine · streamlined design · on-off switch · single action
Rube Goldberg machineOccam's razor
Prefer simplest sufficient explanation
KISS principle · minimalism · form follows function · utilitarian design · streamlined
Goldberg, machine, machines, machined, machining, machinery, machinist