kluge

/klooj/ [from the German klug , clever; poss. related to Polish Russian
klucz (a key, a hint, a main point)] 1. n. A Rube Goldberg (or Heath
Robinson) device, whether in hardware or software. 2. n. A clever
programming trick intended to solve a particular nasty case in an expedient,
if not clear, manner. Often used to repair bugs. Often involves ad-hockery
and verges on being a crock. 3. n. Something that works for the wrong
reason. 4. vt. To insert a kluge into a program. I've kluged this routine to
get around that weird bug, but there's probably a better way. 5. [WPI] n. A
feature that is implemented in a rude manner. Nowadays this term is often
encountered in the variant spelling kludge.