Heath Robinson

views updated Jun 27 2018

Heath Robinson ingeniously or ridiculously over-complicated in design or construction; the term comes from the name of the English cartoonist and illustrator William Heath Robinson (1872–1944), who lampooned the machine age by inventing absurdly complicated ‘Heath Robinson contraptions’ to perform elementary or ridiculous actions.

Robinson, (William) Heath

views updated May 23 2018

Robinson, (William) Heath (1872–1944) English cartoonist and illustrator. He is best-known for his drawings of ‘Heath Robinson contraptions’, absurdly complicated machines for performing simple, everyday tasks.

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William Heath Robinson

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