Word of the Week: boondoggle (BOON-dah-gul) Definition (Noun) 1.a braided cord worn by Boy Scouts as a neckerchief slide, hatband, or ornament 2. a wasteful or impractical project or activity often involving graft In Context "Conservatives often reflexively dismiss infrastructure spending as a boondoggle, and liberals, perhaps in reaction, often reflexively defend it, no matter how wasteful." Jim Surowiecki, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2017