quick-fix
Meaning
Designed to provide a fast, temporary, and often superficial solution to a problem.
A fast, temporary, and often superficial solution to a problem.
Structure
Usage
The software update was just a quick-fix for the security flaw.
We need a long-term strategy, not another quick-fix solution.
He offered a quick-fix that only made the situation worse in the long run.
Etymology
The compound "quick-fix" is a modern American English formation from the mid-20th century, combining two ancient roots to describe a contemporary concept. "Quick" originates from the Old English cwic, meaning "alive," a sense which evolved to imply mental alertness and then physical speed. "Fix" derives from the Latin figere, meaning "to fasten or attach," which entered English via French and came to mean making something stable or correct. The logic of the compound is transparent: a "fast repair." However, its modern usage carries a critical connotation, implying a solution that is hastily applied ("quick") to make a problem seem temporarily resolved ("fixed"), but which lacks durability or addresses only superficial symptoms.
Analysis
- quick: From Old English cwic (alive, living, animated). In this compound, it functions as an adjective meaning fast or rapid. - fix: From Latin fixus, past participle of figere (to fasten, attach). In this compound, it functions as a noun/verb root meaning a repair or solution.