'Jury rig' has positive connotations, cf Skwid's excerpt from the
dictionary. You admire someone who improvises something that's
workable in adverse circumstances. But 'jerry-built' is negative;
it means something is shoddy and poor workmanship.
I don't think it comes from 'Jerry' meaning 'German', I think it
comes from 'Jericho': built like Jericho ie ready to fall down at a
mere loud noise. But I can't find a source that backs me up, so
that may be just a folk-etymology.
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