Juries rigged?

Posted by Lewis on April 22, 2004

In Reply to: Jimmy-rigged posted by Henry on April 21, 2004

: : : : : What is the phrase origin for "jimmy-rigged"?

: : : : : The archives has a discussion under "jury-rigged" if that is what you mean. Also, try a Google search with "jury rigged" for some other interesting discussions.

: : : Then there is the verb to jimmy meaning to force open, could the original have confused or deliberately merged jury-rigged with to jemmy?

: : Hi, thanks for the response. Jerry-built does not provide the meaning I'm searching for. Jury-rigged is more like the nuance. The nuance has to do with a foregone conclusion. Sort of like jury-rigged. A jerry-rigged conclusion would be masked by something that looks like a deliberative process. So, perhaps I was looking for jury-rigged.

: : Jerry-rigged turns up in google searches, usint the meaning I've assigned to it.

: : Jerry-built (slap dash construction)
: : Jury-rigged (a foregon conclusion masked by a deliberative process)

: : Jerry-rigged (a foregone conclusion that's based on sort of a slap-dash method of arriving at the foregone conclusion)

: I know jury-rigged as a sailing term. After damage, perhaps in a storm, a makeshift jury rig may be used to allow a vessel to continue sailing. It therefore means means something improvised.
: From Bartleby (Bartleby the Scrivener was a book by Herman Melville) Jury rig To rig or assemble for temporary emergency use; improvise; perhaps ultimately from Old French ajurie, help, from aider, to help.

In no sense is 'jury-rigged' a foregone conclusion - as explained it means cobbled-together/makeshift/a temporary repair. "rigging" a jury probably came as a play on words. 'jury' is an old word - which I assume to come from Latin - it has common roots with the end part of an affidavit (sworn document) which is called the 'jurat' and the study of law which is traditionally called 'jurisprudence'.

There is no reason why the word 'rigged' to mean 'fitted out' or 'properly set up' would have come into the language at any particular time - boats have had sails and masts rigging for millennnia.

jury-rigged and jerry-built are two entirely different ideas.