Rube Goldberg
adjective/ˌruːb ˈɡəʊldbɜːɡ/
/ˌruːb ˈɡəʊldbɜːrɡ/
(North American English) (British English Heath Robinson)
[only before noun] (humorous)- (of machines and devices) having a very complicated design, especially when used to perform a very simple task; not practicalCultureRube Goldberg was a US cartoonist who drew very complicated machines performing tasks that could be done more easily without them. Goldberg was also a political cartoonist and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1948 for his work. Competitions are sometimes held in the US to see who can build machines of the type that Goldberg was famous for.see also Heath RobinsonWord Origin1950s: from the name of Reuben Goldberg (1883–1970), an American cartoonist whose illustrations often depicted devices with such a complicated design.
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Rube Goldberg