👉 In linguistics and communication, a "kludge" is an artificial or incorrect solution to a problem that is often criticized for being unoriginal or ineffective. It can refer to any type of software bug, design flaw, or other technical issue, as long as it doesn't solve the underlying problem. The term was first used in the 1980s by linguist John B. Cooley and became popular among programmers who referred to kludges as "garbage" or "