penny in the fusebox

English

Etymology

By metaphorical extension from the literal sense, a makeshift to close a circuit when no replacement fuse is at hand; unsafe, inadvisable, and disdained by others in any circumstance except a rare one like wartime heroism.

Pronunciation

  • Audio (General Australian):(file)

Noun

penny in the fusebox

  1. (idiomatic, engineering) An improvised repair made with no regard for safety.
    The fix I made was just a penny in the fusebox; we need to revisit it and fix the problem for real.
  3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see penny,‎ in,‎ the,‎ fusebox.

See also

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