fudge factor

English

Pronunciation

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Noun

fudge factor (plural fudge factors)

1. (idiomatic, engineering) A quantity introduced to compensate for uncertainty.

   We don't know exactly how much the load will weigh, so we'll add in a fudge factor to make sure we don't underestimate.

2. (idiomatic) Any padding or compensation built into a guess or estimate.
3. (idiomatic) variant of "pucker factor", meaning something is/was frightening.

See also

• safety factor