Lexicon of Politics: Day 3

In honor of Rep. Mark Steven Kirk's conservative victory in blocking the "bridge to nowhere" yesterday:


boondoggle n. [claimed to have been coined as a name for an ornamental leather cord] an extravagant and useless project. Now colloq.

1935 Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune (Apr. 11) 4:
That New York relief investigation has cleared up one thing that has always bothered us. It seems that thingumabob that fits into the hootnnanny is called a boon doggle.