MacGyver
/məˈɡʌɪvə/verb [with object] US informal
Make or repair (an object) in an improvised or inventive way, making use of whatever items are at hand: he MacGyvered a makeshift jack with a log he has a shock of short red hair and a pair of rectangular-framed glasses MacGyvered with duct tape...
- An hour after we headed out to sea, Toby had remedied our predicament by MacGyvering a replacement from plumbing parts and rope.
- She mastered the at of MacGyvering some clothes out of whatever you can steal from somebody else's tent.
- I know you're laughing, but you have no idea how many things I've "MacGyvered" with paper clips.
Origin
1990s: from Angus MacGyver, the lead character in the television series MacGyver (1985–1992), who often made or repaired objects in an improvised way.