MacGyver
verb (informal)

- to make or repair (an object) in an improvised or inventive way, making use of whatever items are at hand

Oxford Languages

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WORD ORIGIN

The verb “MacGyver” originates from the popular television series “MacGyver,” which aired from 1985 to 1992. The show’s protagonist, Angus MacGyver, played by Richard Dean Anderson, was known for his resourcefulness and ability to solve complex problems using everyday items and his extensive knowledge of science. Over time, the name “MacGyver” became synonymous with improvising solutions using available materials, leading to the creation of the verb “to MacGyver.”

In this context, “to MacGyver” means to create a solution or fix a problem using limited resources, ingenuity, and unconventional methods. The term has been widely adopted in popular culture and everyday language as a playful and descriptive way to express creative improvisation.

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THE MACGYVER MINDSET

The art of not knowing exactly what you’re doing, but doing it anyway!

- “Nobody really knows what they’re doing. Some are just better at pretending like they do.” (Kumail Nanjiani)

- “The best advice I’ve ever received is, ‘No one else knows what they’re doing either.’ “ (Ricky Gervais)

- “Nobody knows really what they’re doing and there’s two ways to go with that information. One is to be afraid and the other is to be liberated, and I choose to be liberated by it.” (Conan O’Brien)

- “Next time you’re feeling apprehensive about your work, because others in your field seem more talented or confident, remember this: they only seem that way because you can’t see what they’re thinking.” (Oliver Burkeman)

- “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Theodore Roosevelt

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SYNONYMS

- to produce or make (something) from whatever is available

ad-lib, cobble together (up), concoct, confect, construct, contrive, cook up, devise, dream up, engineer, extemporise, fabricate, fling together (up), forge, improv, improvise, jerry-build, jury-rig, knock together, knock up, MACGYVER, make do, patch/piece together, put together (hastily, roughly), rig up, roughcast, roughhew, rustle/scare up, slap together, throw together (up), whip out (up)

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

“If you’ve ever MACGYVERED your way out of a sticky situation, you know that sometimes, creativity and resourcefulness are the best tools in your arsenal.”

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