Jack

13 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Jack \Jack\ (j[a^]k), n. [F. Jacques James, L. Jacobus, Gr. ?,
     Heb. Ya 'aq[=o]b Jacob; prop., seizing by the heel; hence, a
     supplanter. Cf. {Jacobite}, {Jockey}.]
     [1913 Webster]
     1. A familiar nickname of, or substitute for, John.
        [1913 Webster]


  
              You are John Rugby, and you are Jack Rugby. --Shak.
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     2. An impertinent or silly fellow; a simpleton; a boor; a
        clown; also, a servant; a rustic. "Jack fool." --Chaucer.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Since every Jack became a gentleman,
              There 's many a gentle person made a Jack. --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. A popular colloquial name for a sailor; -- called also
        {Jack tar}, and {Jack afloat}.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. A mechanical contrivance, an auxiliary machine, or a
        subordinate part of a machine, rendering convenient
        service, and often supplying the place of a boy or
        attendant who was commonly called Jack; as:
        (a) A device to pull off boots.
        (b) A sawhorse or sawbuck.
        (c) A machine or contrivance for turning a spit; a smoke
            jack, or kitchen jack.
        (b) (Mining) A wooden wedge for separating rocks rent by
            blasting.
        (e) (Knitting Machine) A lever for depressing the sinkers
            which push the loops down on the needles.
        (f) (Warping Machine) A grating to separate and guide the
            threads; a heck box.
        (g) (Spinning) A machine for twisting the sliver as it
            leaves the carding machine.
        (h) A compact, portable machine for planing metal.
        (i) A machine for slicking or pebbling leather.
        (k) A system of gearing driven by a horse power, for
            multiplying speed.
        (l) A hood or other device placed over a chimney or vent
            pipe, to prevent a back draught.
        (m) In the harpsichord, an intermediate piece
            communicating the action of the key to the quill; --
            called also {hopper}.
        (n) In hunting, the pan or frame holding the fuel of the
            torch used to attract game at night; also, the light
            itself. --C. Hallock.
            [1913 Webster]
  
     5. A portable machine variously constructed, for exerting
        great pressure, or lifting or moving a heavy body such as
        an automobile through a small distance. It consists of a
        lever, screw, rack and pinion, hydraulic press, or any
        simple combination of mechanical powers, working in a
        compact pedestal or support and operated by a lever,
        crank, capstan bar, etc. The name is often given to a
        jackscrew, which is a kind of jack.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     6. The small bowl used as a mark in the game of bowls.
        --Shak.
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              Like an uninstructed bowler who thinks to attain the
              jack by delivering his bowl straight forward upon
              it.                                   --Sir W.
                                                    Scott.
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     7. The male of certain animals, as of the ass.
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     8. (Zool.)
        (a) A young pike; a pickerel.
        (b) The jurel.
        (c) A large, California rock fish ({Sebastodes
            paucispinus}); -- called also {boccaccio}, and
            {m['e]rou}.
        (d) The wall-eyed pike.
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     9. A drinking measure holding half a pint; also, one holding
        a quarter of a pint. [Prov. Eng.] --Halliwell.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     10. (Naut.)
         (a) A flag, containing only the union, without the fly,
             usually hoisted on a jack staff at the bowsprit cap;
             -- called also {union jack}. The American jack is a
             small blue flag, with a star for each State.
         (b) A bar of iron athwart ships at a topgallant masthead,
             to support a royal mast, and give spread to the royal
             shrouds; -- called also {jack crosstree}. --R. H.
             Dana, Jr.
             [1913 Webster]
  
     11. The knave of a suit of playing cards.
  
     12. (pl.) A game played with small (metallic, with
         tetrahedrally oriented spikes) objects (the jacks(1950+),
         formerly jackstones) that are tossed, caught, picked up,
         and arranged on a horizontal surface in various patterns;
         in the modern American game, the movements are
         accompanied by tossing or bouncing a rubber ball on the
         horizontal surface supporting the jacks. same as
         {jackstones}.
         [PJC]
  
     13. Money. [slang]
         [PJC]
  
     14. Apple jack.
         [PJC]
  
     15. Brandy.
         [PJC]
  
     Note: Jack is used adjectively in various senses. It
           sometimes designates something cut short or diminished
           in size; as, a jack timber; a jack rafter; a jack arch,
           etc.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     {Jack arch}, an arch of the thickness of one brick.
  
     {Jack back} (Brewing & Malt Vinegar Manuf.), a cistern which
        receives the wort. See under 1st {Back}.
  
     {Jack block} (Naut.), a block fixed in the topgallant or
        royal rigging, used for raising and lowering light masts
        and spars.
  
     {Jack boots}, boots reaching above the knee; -- worn in the
        17 century by soldiers; afterwards by fishermen, etc.
  
     {Jack crosstree}. (Naut.) See 10, b, above.
  
     {Jack curlew} (Zool.), the whimbrel.
  
     {Jack frame}. (Cotton Spinning) See 4
         (g), above.
  
     {Jack Frost}, frost or cold weather personified as a
        mischievous person.
  
     {Jack hare}, a male hare. --Cowper.
  
     {Jack lamp}, a lamp for still hunting and camp use. See def.
        4
         (n.), above.
  
     {Jack plane}, a joiner's plane used for coarse work.
  
     {Jack post}, one of the posts which support the crank shaft
        of a deep-well-boring apparatus.
  
     {Jack pot} (Poker Playing), the name given to the stakes,
        contributions to which are made by each player
        successively, till such a hand is turned as shall take the
        "pot," which is the sum total of all the bets. See also
        {jackpot}.
  
     {Jack rabbit} (Zool.), any one of several species of large
        American hares, having very large ears and long legs. The
        California species ({Lepus Californicus}), and that of
        Texas and New Mexico ({Lepus callotis}), have the tail
        black above, and the ears black at the tip. They do not
        become white in winter. The more northern prairie hare
        ({Lepus campestris}) has the upper side of the tail white,
        and in winter its fur becomes nearly white.
  
     {Jack rafter} (Arch.), in England, one of the shorter rafters
        used in constructing a hip or valley roof; in the United
        States, any secondary roof timber, as the common rafters
        resting on purlins in a trussed roof; also, one of the
        pieces simulating extended rafters, used under the eaves
        in some styles of building.
  
     {Jack salmon} (Zool.), the wall-eyed pike, or glasseye.
  
     {Jack sauce}, an impudent fellow. [Colloq. & Obs.]
  
     {Jack shaft} (Mach.), the first intermediate shaft, in a
        factory or mill, which receives power, through belts or
        gearing, from a prime mover, and transmits it, by the same
        means, to other intermediate shafts or to a line shaft.
  
     {Jack sinker} (Knitting Mach.), a thin iron plate operated by
        the jack to depress the loop of thread between two
        needles.
  
     {Jack snipe}. (Zool.) See in the Vocabulary.
  
     {Jack staff} (Naut.), a staff fixed on the bowsprit cap, upon
        which the jack is hoisted.
  
     {Jack timber} (Arch.), any timber, as a rafter, rib, or
        studding, which, being intercepted, is shorter than the
        others.
  
     {Jack towel}, a towel hung on a roller for common use.
  
     {Jack truss} (Arch.), in a hip roof, a minor truss used where
        the roof has not its full section.
  
     {Jack tree}. (Bot.) See 1st {Jack}, n.
  
     {Jack yard} (Naut.), a short spar to extend a topsail beyond
        the gaff.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Blue jack}, blue vitriol; sulphate of copper.
  
     {Hydraulic jack}, a jack used for lifting, pulling, or
        forcing, consisting of a compact portable hydrostatic
        press, with its pump and a reservoir containing a supply
        of liquid, as oil.
  
     {Jack-at-a-pinch}.
         (a) One called upon to take the place of another in an
             emergency.
         (b) An itinerant parson who conducts an occasional
             service for a fee.
  
     {Jack-at-all-trades}, one who can turn his hand to any kind
        of work.
  
     {Jack-by-the-hedge} (Bot.), a plant of the genus {Erysimum}
        ({Erysimum alliaria}, or {Alliaria officinalis}), which
        grows under hedges. It bears a white flower and has a
        taste not unlike garlic. Called also, in England,
        {sauce-alone}. --Eng. Cyc.
  
     {Jack-in-office}, an insolent fellow in authority. --Wolcott.
  
     {Jack-in-the-bush} (Bot.), a tropical shrub with red fruit
        ({Cordia Cylindrostachya}).
  
     {Jack-in-the-green}, a chimney sweep inclosed in a framework
        of boughs, carried in Mayday processions.
  
     {Jack-of-the-buttery} (Bot.), the stonecrop ({Sedum acre}).
        
  
     {Jack-of-the-clock}, a figure, usually of a man, on old
        clocks, which struck the time on the bell.
  
     {Jack-on-both-sides}, one who is or tries to be neutral.
  
     {Jack-out-of-office}, one who has been in office and is
        turned out. --Shak.
  
     {Jack the Giant Killer}, the hero of a well-known nursery
        story.
  
     {Yellow Jack} (Naut.), the yellow fever; also, the quarantine
        flag. See {Yellow flag}, under {Flag}.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Jack \Jack\ (j[a^]k), n. [Pg. jaca, Malayalam, tsjaka.] (Bot.)
     A large tree, the {Artocarpus integrifolia}, common in the
     East Indies, closely allied to the breadfruit, from which it
     differs in having its leaves entire. The fruit is of great
     size, weighing from thirty to forty pounds, and through its
     soft fibrous matter are scattered the seeds, which are
     roasted and eaten. The wood is of a yellow color, fine grain,
     and rather heavy, and is much used in cabinetwork. It is also
     used for dyeing a brilliant yellow. [Written also {jak}.]
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Jack \Jack\, n. [F. jaque, jacque, perh. from the proper name
     Jacques. Cf. {Jacquerie}.]
     A coarse and cheap medi[ae]val coat of defense, esp. one made
     of leather.
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           Their horsemen are with jacks for most part clad. --Sir
                                                    J. Harrington.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Jack \Jack\, n. [Named from its resemblance to a jack boot.]
     A pitcher or can of waxed leather; -- called also {black
     jack}. [Obs.] --Dryden.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Jack \Jack\, v. i.
     To hunt game at night by means of a jack. See 2d {Jack}, n.,
     4, n.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Jack \Jack\, v. t.
     To move or lift, as a house, by means of a jack or jacks. See
     2d {Jack}, n., 5.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Pike \Pike\, n. [F. pique; perhaps of Celtic origin; cf. W. pig
     a prick, a point, beak, Arm. pik pick. But cf. also L. picus
     woodpecker (see {Pie} magpie), and E. spike. Cf. {Pick}, n. &
     v., {Peak}, {Pique}.]
     1. (Mil.) A foot soldier's weapon, consisting of a long
        wooden shaft or staff, with a pointed steel head. It is
        now superseded by the bayonet.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. A pointed head or spike; esp., one in the center of a
        shield or target. --Beau. & Fl.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. A hayfork. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] --Tusser.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. A pick. [Prov. Eng.] --Wright. Raymond.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     5. A pointed or peaked hill. [R.]
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     6. A large haycock. [Prov. Eng.] --Halliwell.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     7. A turnpike; a toll bar. --Dickens.
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     8. (Zool.) sing. & pl. A large fresh-water fish ({Esox
        lucius}), found in Europe and America, highly valued as a
        food fish; -- called also {pickerel}, {gedd}, {luce}, and
        {jack}.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: Blue pike, grass pike, green pike, wall-eyed pike, and
           yellow pike, are names, not of true pike, but of the
           wall-eye. See {Wall-eye}.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     {Gar pike}. See under {Gar}.
  
     {Pike perch} (Zool.), any fresh-water fish of the genus
        {Stizostedion} (formerly {Lucioperca}). See {Wall-eye},
        and {Sauger}.
  
     {Pike pole}, a long pole with a pike in one end, used in
        directing floating logs.
  
     {Pike whale} (Zool.), a finback whale of the North Atlantic
        ({Bal[ae]noptera rostrata}), having an elongated snout; --
        called also {piked whale}.
  
     {Sand pike} (Zool.), the lizard fish.
  
     {Sea pike} (Zool.), the garfish
        (a) .
            [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Jurel \Ju"rel\, n. (Zool.)
     A yellow carangoid fish of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts
     ({Caranx chrysos}), most abundant southward, where it is
     valued as a food fish; -- called also {hardtail}, {horse
     crevall['e]}, {jack}, {buffalo jack}, {skipjack}, {yellow
     mackerel}, and sometimes, improperly, {horse mackerel}. Other
     species of {Caranx} (as {Caranx fallax}) are also sometimes
     called jurel. Juridic

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Varlet \Var"let\, n. [OF. varlet, vaslet, vallet, servant, young
     man, young noble, dim. of vassal. See {Vassal}, and cf.
     {Valet}.]
     [1913 Webster]
     1. A servant, especially to a knight; an attendant; a valet;
        a footman. [Obs.] --Spenser. Tusser.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Hence, a low fellow; a scoundrel; a rascal; as, an
        impudent varlet.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              What a brazen-faced varlet art thou ! --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. In a pack of playing cards, the court card now called the
        {knave}, or {jack}. [Obs.]
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  jack
       n 1: a small worthless amount; "you don't know jack" [syn: {diddly-squat},
             {diddlysquat}, {diddly-shit}, {diddlyshit}, {diddly}, {diddley},
             {squat}, {shit}]
       2: a man who serves as a sailor [syn: {mariner}, {seaman}, {tar},
           {Jack-tar}, {old salt}, {seafarer}, {gob}, {sea dog}]
       3: someone who works with their hands; someone engaged in
          manual labor [syn: {laborer}, {manual laborer}, {labourer}]
       4: immense East Indian fruit resembling breadfruit of; its
          seeds are commonly roasted [syn: {jackfruit}, {jak}]
       5: an electrical device consisting of a connector socket
          designed for the insertion of a plug
       6: game equipment consisting of one of several small objects
          picked up while bouncing a ball in the game of jacks
       7: small flag indicating a ship's nationality
       8: one of four face cards in a deck bearing a picture of a
          young prince [syn: {knave}]
       9: tool for exerting pressure or lifting
       10: any of several fast-swimming predacious fishes of tropical
           to warm-temperate seas
       11: male donkey [syn: {jackass}]
       v 1: lift with a special device; "jack up the car so you can
            change the tire" [syn: {jack up}]
       2: hunt with a jacklight [syn: {jacklight}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  212 Moby Thesaurus words for "jack":
     AB, Ancient Mariner, Argonaut, Dannebrog, Dylan, Flying Dutchman,
     Jolly Roger, Neptune, OD, Old Glory, Poseidon,
     Rocky Mountain canary, Star-Spangled Banner, Stars and Stripes,
     Union Flag, Union Jack, Varuna, able seaman, able-bodied seaman,
     ace, and blue, ass, baluster, balustrade, banderole, banister,
     banner, banneret, base, best bower, black flag, blue ensign,
     bluejacket, blunt, boodle, bower, brass, bread, buccaneer, bucks,
     bunting, burgee, burro, cabbage, cards, caryatid, cash, chips,
     clubs, coachwhip, coin, colonnade, color, colors, column, crab,
     crane, cuddy, dado, deck, deep-sea man, derrick, deuce, diamonds,
     dickey, die, dinero, donkey, dough, dummy, ensign, erector,
     face cards, fair-weather sailor, fisherman, flag, flush, footstalk,
     forklift, full house, gantry crane, gelt, gilt, gonfalon, gonfanon,
     grease, green, green stuff, greenbacks, guidon, hand, hearts,
     hearty, hoist, house flag, hydraulic tailgate, jack afloat,
     jack-tar, jackass, jackscrew, jacky, jennet, jenny, jenny ass,
     joker, kale, king, knave, left bower, lever, lift, lifter, limey,
     lobsterman, long pennant, mariner, matelot, mazuma, merchant flag,
     money, moolah, mopus, national flag, navigator, neddy, newel-post,
     oil of palms, ointment, oof, ooftish, oriflamme, pack, pair,
     pedestal, pedicel, peduncle, pendant, pennant, pennon, pennoncel,
     picture cards, pier, pilaster, pile, piling, pillar, pirate,
     playing cards, plinth, pole, post, privateer, queen, queen-post,
     red, red ensign, rhino, rocks, round, royal flush, royal standard,
     rubber, ruff, sailor, salt, scratch, sea dog, sea rover, seafarer,
     seafaring man, seaman, shaft, shekels, shipman, signal flag,
     simoleons, singleton, socle, spades, spondulics, staff, stalk,
     stanchion, stand, standard, stem, straight, streamer, subbase,
     sugar, surbase, swallowtail, tackle, tar, tarpaulin, the needful,
     tin, trey, trick, tricolor, trump, trunk, upright, vexillum,
     viking, wampum, water dog, whaler, white, windjammer, windlass,
     windsailor
  
  

From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]:

  Jack, AL
    Zip code(s): 36346

From U.S. Gazetteer Counties (2000) [gaz-county]:

  Jack -- U.S. County in Texas
     Population (2000):    8763
     Housing Units (2000): 3668
     Land area (2000):     916.609219 sq. miles (2374.006877 sq. km)
     Water area (2000):    3.504784 sq. miles (9.077349 sq. km)
     Total area (2000):    920.114003 sq. miles (2383.084226 sq. km)
     Located within:       Texas (TX), FIPS 48
     Location:             33.208587 N, 98.169992 W
     Headwords:
      Jack
      Jack, TX
      Jack County
      Jack County, TX