System D

proper noun

A manner of responding to challenges with quick thinking and improvisation.

OriginFrench système D →
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. A manner of responding to challenges with quick thinking and improvisation.

    It's when the orders are pouring in and the supplies are running low and the tempers are growing thin that one sees System D practiced at its highest level. Hot water explodes? No sweat.

    2006, Anthony Bourdain, “System D”, in The Nasty Bits, →ISBN, page 7

Origin

  1. Frenchsystème D
  2. EnglishSystem D

Calque of French système D.

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

System D. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/System%20D

MLA

“System D.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/System%20D. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “System D,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/System%20D.

Source: System D on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.