Jack

jak, n. used as a familiar name or diminutive of John: a saucy or paltry fellow: a sailor: any instrument serving to supply the place of a boy or helper, as a bootjack for taking off boots, a contrivance for turning a spit (smoke-jack, roasting-jack), a screw for raising heavy weights, a figure which strikes the bell in clocks: the male of some animals: a young pike: a support to saw wood on: a miner's wedge: a flag displayed from the bowsprit of a ship: a leather pitcher or bottle: a coat of mail: ( coll. ) a knave in cards: the small white ball that forms the aim in bowls.— ns. Jack′-a-dan′dy , a dandy or fop, esp. if diminutive; Jack′-a-Lan′tern , the ignis fatuus or Will-o'-the-Wisp; Jack′-a-Lent′ ( Shak. ), a boy (for Jack of Lent , a kind of puppet formerly thrown at in sport at Lent); Jack′-block , a block of pulleys used for raising and lowering topgallant-masts.— n.pl. Jack′boots , large boots reaching above the knee, to protect the leg, formerly worn by cavalry, and covered with plates of iron.— ns. Jack′-cro ′-tree , the cro -tree at the head of a topgallant-mast; Jack′-flag , a flag which is hoisted at the spritsail topmast-head; Jack′-fool , an absolute a ; Jack′-in-off′ice , a conceited and impertinent official; Jack′-in-the-box′ , a box with a figure in it that springs up when the lid is lifted; Jack′-in-the-green′ , a May-day chimney-sweep almost covered up with green shrubs; Jack′-knife , a large clasp-knife; Jack′-man , a soldier armed with a jack or coat of mail: a retainer; Jack′-nas′ty , a sneak, a sloven; Jack′-of-all′-trades , one who can turn his hand to anything; Jack′-plane , a large, strong plane used by joiners; Jack′-pudd′ing , a merry-andrew, buffoon; Jack′-rabb′it , one of several species of prairie-hares, with very long ears and legs; Jack′-raft′er , a rafter, shorter than the rest, used in hip-roofs; Jack′-sauce ( Shak. ), a saucy fellow; Jack′-screw , a screw for raising heavy weights; Jack′-slave ( Shak. ), a low servant, a vulgar fellow; Jack′-smith , a smith who makes jacks for the kitchen; Jack′-snipe , a small species of snipe; Jack′-staff , the staff on which the jack is hoisted.— n.pl. Jack′-stays , ropes or strips of wood or iron stretched along the yards of a ship to bind the sails to.— ns. Jack′-straw , a straw effigy, a low servile fellow; Jack′-tar , a sailor; Jack′-towel , a long endle towel pa ing over a roller.— Jack Frost , frost personified as a mischievous fellow; Jack Ketch , a public hangman—from one so named under James II.; Jack Sprat , a diminutive fellow.— Cheap Jack (see Cheap ); Every man Jack , one and all; Yellow Jack ( slang ), yellow fever. [Fr. Jacques , the most common name in France, hence used as a substitute for John , the most common name in England; but it is really= James or Jacob —L. Jacobus .]