contraption

nounattested in dialogue

United Kingdom//kənˈtɹæp.ʃən//

A machine that is complicated and precarious.

noun

1
A machine that is complicated and precarious.
2
figurativeAny object.
“Yes, sir, if that was the language of love, I'll eat my hat,” said the blood relation, alluding, I took it, to the beastly straw contraption in which she does her gardening, concerning which I can only say that it is almost as foul as Uncle Tom's Sherlock Holmes deerstalker, which has frightened more crows than any other lid in Worcestershire.

Etymology

Possibly a Western US English dialectal word of unknown origin. First attested in the early 19th century. Perhaps from contrive + trap + -tion, while also possibly approximating construction. Chambers suggests contrivance + adaption. Neither Chambers nor Concise Oxford suggests a US origin. Compare cantrip, cantrap (Scots dialect), a wilful piece of trickery.

Forms

plural: contraptions

Contractor · A surname originating as an occupation.contradict · To deny the truth or validity of (a statement or statements).contradiction · The act of contradicting.

contraption · A machine that is complicated and precarious.

contrary · Opposite; in an opposite direction; in opposition; adverse.contrast · A difference in lightness, brightness or hue between two…contribute · To give something that is or becomes part of a larger whole.

The neighbouring pages — Alphabetical order follows the rules of the language, not byte values: an accent decides only between two otherwise identical words, and Spanish files Ñ as a letter of its own.