American
slang term (popular since circa 1935) for
useless,
unnecessary, or
wasteful activity. Also used as a verb to indicate taking part in such an activity. Usually implies either self-conscious waste of time or money just to appear
busy, or downright
fraud.
Coining the word is usually attributed to scoutmaster Robert H. Link (late 1920s), who used it to describe the braided jewelry mentioned in other writeups, however it was used even earlier by cowboys for saddle decorations they made while trying to kill time. Link's Boy Scouts would also be made to spend their time producing these trinkets in order to keep busy and stay out of trouble. Later the term was expanded to mean any kind of worthless or trivial work, as well as government-initiated creation of useless jobs (see boondoggling). The term is most prominently used in W.C. Fields' 1940 movie The Bank Dick.