origins of "kludge"

[der Mouse]

>> The French word for "bell" is "cloche" which is pronounced not
>> un-similarly to kludge.

Well, "cloche" is lacking the plosive, but perhaps it's not too
unlikely a distortion.

> Interesting.  I'd always assumed it was a corruption of some form of
> the German word 'kluge' (clever).

The Jargon File entry for `kludge' seems to derive it from a Scots
word, though it does include a nod towards the German.  See
http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/K/kludge.html (and kluge.html,
which contains not only some description of `kluge' but a good deal of
interesting historical material - amusingly, I somehow managed to pick
up both the -d- spelling and the /klooj/ pronunciation, to the point
that anything else looks/sounds wrong to me).

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