For this year's A-Z Challenge I have selected a word from the dictionary for each day and written a story around it with a 100 word limit. For extra interest I have chosen words that are unknown or unfamiliar to me. All definitions are from the Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus 2007 Edition. Today's word is Kludge.
Kludge: Something hastily or badly put together.
It
was a real kludge and he knew it, hammered together with mismatched planks and
nails knocked in at odd angles. When Sandra had asked him to build a kennel for
Bobo – his dog, he still thought – at
her new house after she was done divorcing him, he couldn’t believe her cheek.
It
was a bit mean to the dog, but it should do the trick. Sure enough, she chewed
his ear off when the storm shredded the kennel, leaving a sodden Bobo yowling
at her back door, but he knew she wouldn’t ask him for a favour ever again.
Poor old Bobo! It's worth becoming a kludger to get out of doing jobs for people!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great word - another new one for me.
ReplyDeleteWell that is one way to get out of a favour I suppose, I just feel sorry for Bobo :) I'm sure there was a character called Kludge in something, but I can't for the life of me remember what.
ReplyDeleteTasha
Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)
Good old bit of revenge there. Poor Bobo getting caught in the middle, and in the rain :-)
ReplyDeleteAnnalisa, writing A-Z vignettes, at Wake Up, Eat, Write, Sleep
Hi Nick - love the word 'Kludge' .. one many of us could use .. I'll kludge supper together tonight!!
ReplyDeleteBut exactly - poor Bobo ... and don't kludge things today?! cheers Hilary
Love it! Serves her right!
ReplyDeletePrecious Monsters
And that word sounds just right for it's meaning, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteLove it!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure she learned!
ReplyDeleteGreat word! All of the words you keep have a great sound and look to them. :)
ReplyDeleteBobo. What a name! Somehow the story would have to end on a better note for a dog named King. Kludge is good too. I hope no one notices which of my blogs are kludges this month.
ReplyDeleteI love the word kludge! I have to remember this one. I can't blame this guy for being annoyed but I also got annoyed with him for putting poor Bobo in the middle of it. LOL I always side with the pets.
ReplyDeleteDang! Dogs usually don't need training, it's the humans who need help.
ReplyDeleteI am going to try to use this word somewhere in the day...
ReplyDeleteJeremy [Retro]
AtoZ Challenge Co-Host [2015]
There's no earthly way of knowing.
Which direction we are going!
HOLLYWOOD NUTS!
Come Visit: You know you want to know if me or Hollywood... is Nuts?
Awww, poor dog :D Taking the dog is a final blow in any breakup...
ReplyDelete@TarkabarkaHolgy from
Multicolored Diary - Epics from A to Z
MopDog - 26 Ways to Die in Medieval Hungary
At first, I thought it read, "He was a real kludge" meaning he was a robot or something hastily put together:) Poor dog! My mind is in sci-fi mode right now.
ReplyDeleteHe should have taken the dog and ran...lol.
ReplyDeletePoor Bobo, caught in the middle of his divorcing parents.
ReplyDeleteNever came across that word before. Thankyou for sharing that. Nice short story.
ReplyDeleteI have immediate use for this word. Thanks for giving it to us today.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to remember Kludge. It might even apply to one or two of my remaining A/Z posts :) Glad that the dog in the end was okay, just wet :)
ReplyDeletebetty
Poor Bobo. Great story, though!
ReplyDeleteAwww, poor Bobo. Don't put the dog in between your battles! =(
ReplyDelete~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Member of C. Lee's Muffin Commando Squad
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author
Yes, like Patricia wrote: leave poor Bobo out of the slings and arrows of human love gone wrong! At least that is what poor Bobo is probably thinking! Great flash fiction. :-)
ReplyDeletePoor Bobo! ;P
ReplyDeleteSophie
Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles
FB3X
Wittegen Press
Hey, that was quite mean... but good story :-)
ReplyDeleteA new word for me!
ReplyDeleteAnother good piece, Nick!
I'm am feeling it for Bobo. LOVE the word though and the story.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great word! Poor Bobo.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone!
ReplyDeleteSorry I haven't had time to reply to you all individually due to some unexplained circumstances over the last few days. But I wanted to explain why Bobo got a raw deal. I love dogs! The story was partly inspired by my wife's divorce from her ex-husband, when he got rid of the dog. Yes, got rid of. He said he gave her to a nice old lady, but that was rubbish... it's never been forgiven!
Oh, that makes me sad. Poor Bobo...
ReplyDeleteHahaha. Your characters are so funny and real. I think a lot of kids think that way about chores, too. Like, "If I do a crap job, I'll never have to do it again." There is a blog called Kludgy Mom, and maybe that is where she got the word kludgy. I always wondered.
ReplyDeleteTerrible to punish the dog... Oh well, at least he won't be asked to do anything like that again.
ReplyDeleteLiz A. from Laws of Gravity
Poor bobo. He should petition to get him back.
ReplyDeleteGreat story about complicated relationships.
I think Bobo ended up with the right ex. It WAS mean to the dog, and I suppose I needn't ask YOU, "The lady, or the tiger?" I think I know.
ReplyDeleteA fun word! Its meaning matches its sound.
ReplyDeleteYvonne
Aww, poor Bobo! :( I understand the deviousness of his reasoning, though. "Kludge" is fun to say and seems appropriate for its meaning.
ReplyDeleteHi Nick! This is my first A to Z. I love your theme and perimeters for your posts. Mine is just a bunch of mish mash. Next year, if there is one, I want to do themes!
ReplyDeleteAh, Bobo! Great word. :)
ReplyDelete