Ahoy, mateys! I've sighted a Reason! And thar she blows and breaches, two points off the larboard!

According to the word experts, "kludge" (also "kluge") comes from German. As we all know, the German language is divided into two parts (unlike Gaul, which was divided into three parts). There's Hochedeutsch and Plattedeutsch, and the etomolygists don't say from which "kludge" (or "kluge") derives. (Notice that I did not end that sentence with a preposition and thereby demonstrate not only my excellent command of grammar and usage, but also [and please note again the correct use of "not only...but also"] my ability, often doubted, to correctly construct compound-complex sentences such as this one.)

My guess, based purely upon my admittedly less-than-extensive knowledge of German, is that it derives from Plattedeutsch. I base this upon a) the statement that it was intended to be an ironic use of the word; 2) that it sounds Plattedeutschy and, 3.7) my ancestors, good working folk that they were, poor peasants barely scraping along under the iron heel of the Hochedeutsch-speaking oppressors, spoke Plattedeutsch.

Ergo (that's Latin, and demonstrates my multilingual abilities), the "d" sound is not only pronounced, but the word is pronounced to rhyme with "fudge" or "drudge", as in the exemplary sentence, "The drudge delivered the fudge but had to kludge the trudge."

There, I've cleared that up and done my daily good deed at the same time!