stopgap
To stop up or fill (a physical gap or hole, or a hiatus).
Adjective
- Short-term; temporary.
- They put a stopgap solution in place, but need something more permanent.
- Filling a gap or pause.
Origin
The noun is derived from stop (“to close or block (an opening)”) + gap, from the phrase to stop a gap. The adjective is from an attributive use of the noun, and the verb is derived from the noun.
Forms
Synonyms
Related
Noun
- That which stops up or fills a gap or hole.
- [A] bit of ink and paper which has long been an innocent wrapping or stop-gap may at last be laid open under the one pair of eyes which have knowledge enough to turn it into the opening of a catastrophe. - 1872, George...
Synonyms: fillgap
- Something spoken to fill up an uncomfortable pause in speech; a filled pause or filler.
- A short-term fix or temporary measure used until something better can be obtained; that which serves as an expedient in an emergency; a band-aid solution.
- The small company used their old product with a few kludged enhancements as a stopgap until they could develop a new product.
- Perhaps I shall be told that this wintry exhibition is a mere stopgap and makeshift, until a fresh supply of bright new paintings can be procured, and that it is ultra vires to obtain such for love or money before the...
- It is often argued that the HST saved BR's InterCity market. It was only ever intended as a stopgap, but it proved to be a winner. - 2019 October 23, Pip Dunn, “The Next King of Scotland”, in Rail, Peterborough,...
Synonyms: band-aid bandaid quick fix band-aid solution bodge cludge fiddle hack hack job jugaad kludge kluge lash-up make-do makeshift patch patch-up put-together quick-and-dirty stopgap workaround
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(specifically) A person appointed or hired to fill a position temporarily until a permanent appointment or hire can be made; a temp.
- As witness the following. Mr Strudwick, the regular master of the form, happened on one occasion to be away for a couple of days, and a stop-gap was put in in his place. The name of the stop-gap was Mr Somerville Smith....
Synonyms: band-aid bandaid quick fix band-aid solution bodge cludge fiddle hack hack job jugaad kludge kluge lash-up make-do makeshift patch patch-up put-together quick-and-dirty stopgap workaround
Forms
Verb
- To stop up or fill (a physical gap or hole, or a hiatus).
- To use something as a short-term fix or temporary measure until a better alternative can be obtained.
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(specifically) To work at a position temporarily until a permanent appointment or hire is made.
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