Frankenstein's monster

Definition

A thing that is cobbled together from parts of other things.

Etymology

In Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein (1818), Dr. Frankenstein assembled a monster from human corpses; it eventually escaped his control.

Example Sentences

• "Like the English language, the eukaryote cell is a chimera, a Frankenstein's monster, assembled from bits and pieces of genetic information..."
• "He is like a Frankenstein's monster in reverse: everything that is pretty is combined together to produce a perfect androgyne."
• "They created a Frankenstein's monster which they did not imagine could grow out of their control."