"Desenrascanço" is a portuguese word used in common language in Portugal, to express an ability to solve a problem without the adequate tools or proper technique to do so and by use of sometimes imaginative resourcefulness when facing new situations.
The fact is that it is fairly common for Portuguese employees to work with inadequate tools or simply with no tools at all, because some employers refuse to supply them. This "desenrascanço" ou "desenrasco" (another common word for desenrascanço) is indeed the ability to solve problems in very adverse conditions, and Portuguese are forced to be good at it. Many of the Portuguese inventions in the Geneva Inventions Exhibition are an example of how "desenrascanço" is used to create new tools that are typically cheaper. Although being a fictional American TV show character, MacGyver is a good example of "desenrascanço".

Siemens, a well known German company, has development and engineering offices in Portugal partly due to this Portuguese trait, employing hundreds of Portuguese staff. They say "when a German gives up when faced with a difficulty, a Portuguese will work until it is solved." They also argue that it is "due to the quality of Portuguese state-run universities and institutes". Desenrascanço is the finding of a quick and dirty solution for a given problem.
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