boondoggle

Etymology

 * alternatively “boon doggle”. Compare of similar sense, attested in same period.

In sense of “wasteful government program”, popularized in 1935 by The New York Times, in reference to New Deal programs which were claimed to feature people making such braids.

Noun

 * 1)  A braided ring to hold a neckerchief.
 * 2)  A waste of time and/or money; a pointless activity.
 * 1)  A waste of time and/or money; a pointless activity.

Translations

 * Dutch:
 * Finnish: ,
 * German:
 * Macedonian: за́лудност
 * Spanish: pérdida de tiempo

Verb

 * 1)  To waste time on a pointless activity.