I must admit that I copied a spelling mistake in my post. The proper spelling is blivit.
From Dictionary.com -
Quote:
bliv·it /ˈblɪvɪt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[bliv-it] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun Slang. 1. something annoying, ridiculous, or useless.
2. something for which one cannot find a word; something difficult to name.
3. an unpleasant or unsolvable situation or problem.
As for the origin, here's a possibility -
Quote:
blivet
/bliv'*t/ [allegedly from a World War II military term meaning "ten pounds of manure in a five-pound bag"]
In the uses I've heard it, the word describes any item used for a purpose other than its original intent. I've seen this most often in reference to concrete barricades (the free-standing type that you see dividing a highway) which are often used for ballast on railroad locomotives, ballast cargo for airplanes, and as a substitute for actual cargo during air drop practice (typically strapped to a pallet to simulate a larger piece of equipment like a truck or similar).
Also, from Wikipedia -
Quote:
In traditional U.S. Army slang dating back to the Second World War, a blivet was defined as "ten pounds of manure in a five pound bag" (a proverbial description of anything egregiously ugly or unmanageable); it was applied to an unmanageable situation, a crucial but substandard or damaged tool, or a self-important person. In Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses, Rawlins defines a blivet as "10 pounds of s h * t in a 5 pound bag". During the Vietnam conflict, a heavy rubber bladder in which aviation fuel or POL (petroleum, oil, and lubricants) was transported was known as a blivet, as was anything which, once unpacked, could not be replaced in its container. The usage of blivet for a fuel container is still current. A recent request for quotation ('Solicitation number W91B4P-07-Q-0615 titled "Fuel Point Bill of Materials"') in Afghanistan includes a line item for "10 50,000 gal. blivets".