J
- Jabber
- To talk thick and fast, as great praters usually do, to chatter like a magpye; also to speak a foreign language. He jabbered to rne in his damned outlandish parlez vous, but I could not understand him; he chattered to me in French, or some other foreign language, but I could not understand him.
- Jack
- A farthing, a small bowl serving as the mark for bowlers. An instrument for pulling off boots.
- Jack Adams
- A fool. Jack Adams's parish; Clerkenwell.
- Jack Ketch
- The hangman; vide DERRICK and KETCH.
- Jack Nasty Face
- A sea term, signifying a common sailor.
- Jack Pudding
- The merry andrew, zany, or jester to a mountebank.
- Jack Robinson
- Before one could say Jack Robinson; a saying to express a very short time, originating from a very volatile gentleman of that appellation, who would call on his neighbours, and be gone before his name could be announced.
- Jack Sprat
- A dwarf, or diminutive fellow.
- Jack Tar
- A sailor.
- Jack Weight
- A fat man.
- Jack Whore
- A large masculine overgrown wench.
- Jack at a Pinch
- A poor hackney parson.
- Jack in a Box
- A sharper, or cheat. A child in the mother's womb.
- Jack in an Office
- An insolent fellow in authority.
- Jack of Legs
- A tall long-legged man; also a giant, said to be buried in Weston church, near Baldock, in Hertfordshire, where there are two stones fourteen feet distant, said to be the head and feet stones of his grave. This giant, says Salmon, as fame goes, lived in a wood here, and was a great robber, but a generous one; for he plundered the rich to feed the poor: he frequently took bread for this purpose from the Baldock bakers, who catching him at an advantage, put out his eyes, and afterwards hanged him upon a knoll in Baldock field. At his death he made one request, which was, that he might have his bow and arrow put into his hand, and on shooting it off, where the arrow fell, they would bury him; which being granted, the arrow fell in Weston churchyard. Above seventy years ago, a very large thigh bone was taken out of the church chest, where it had lain many years for a show, and was sold by the clerk to Sir John Tradescant, who, it is said, put it among the rarities of Oxford.
- Jackanapes
- An ape; a pert, ugly, little fellow.
- Jacked
- Spavined. A jacked horse.
- Jackey
- Gin.
- Jackmen
- See JARKMEN.
- Jacob
- A ladder: perhaps from Jacob's dream. CANT. Also the common name for a jay, jays being usually taught to say, Poor Jacob! a cup of sack for Jacob.
- Jacobites
- Sham or collar shirts. Also partizans for the Stuart family: from the name of the abdicated king, i.e. James or Jacobus. It is said by the whigs, that God changed Jacob's name to Israel, lest the descendants of that patriarch should be called Jacobites.
- Jade
- A term of reproach to women.
- Jague
- A ditch: perhaps from jakes.
- Jail Birds
- Prisoners.
- Jakes
- A house of office, a cacatorium.
- Jammed
- Hanged. CANT.
- Janizaries
- The mob, sometimes so called; also bailiffs, their setters, and followers.
- Japanned
- Ordained. To be japanned; to enter into holy orders, to become a clergyman, to put on the black cloth: from the colour of the japan ware, which is black.
- Jark
- A seal.
- Jarkmen
- Those, who fabricate counterfeit passes, licences, and certificates for beggars.
- Jarvis
- A hackney coachman.
- Jason's Fleece
- A citizen cheated of his gold.
- Jaw
- Speech, discourse. Give us none of your jaw; let us have none of your discourse. A jaw-me-dead; a talkative fellow. Jaw work; a cry used in fairs by the sellers of nuts.
- Jazey
- A bob wig.
- Jeffy
- It will be done in a jeffy; it will be done in a short space of time, in an instant.
- Jehu
- To drive jehu-like; to drive furiously: from a king of Israel of that name, who was a famous charioteer, and mentioned as such in the Bible.
- Jem
- A gold ring. CANT.
- Jemmy
- A crow. This instrument is much used by housebreakers. Sometimes called Jemmy Rook.
- Jemmy Fellow
- A smart spruce fellow.
- Jenny
- An instrument for lifting up the grate or top of a show-glass, in order to rob it. CANT.
- Jerry Sneak
- A henpecked husband: from a celebrated character in one of Mr. Foote's plays, representing a man governed by his wife.
- Jerrycummumble
- To shake, towzle, or tumble about.
- Jesiut
- See TO BOX THE JESUIT.
- Jessamy
- A smart jemmy fellow, a fopling.
- Jesuitical
- Sly, evasive, equivocal. A jesuitical answer; an equivocal answer.
- Jet
- A lawyer. Autem jet; a parson.
- Jew
- A tradesman who has no faith, i.e. will not give credit.
- Jew Bail
- Insufficient bail: commonly Jews, who for a sum of money will bail any action whatsoever, and justify, that is, swear to their sufficiency; but, when called on, are not to be found.
- Jew's Eye
- That's worth a Jew's eye; a pleasant or agreeable sight: a saying taken from Shakespeare.
- Jibber the Kibber
- A method of deceiving seamen, by fixing a candle and lanthorn round the neck of a horse, one of whose fore feet is tied up; this at night has the appearance of a ship's light. Ships bearing towards it, run on shore, and being wrecked, are plundered by the inhabitants. This diabolical device is, it is said, practised by the inhabitants of our western coasts.
- Jig
- A trick. A pleasant jig; a witty arch trick. Also a lock or door. The feather-bed jig; copulation.
- Jigger
- A whipping-post. CANT.
- Jilt
- A tricking woman, who encourages the addresses of a man whom she means to deceive and abandon.
- Jilted
- Rejected by a woman who has encouraged one's advances.
- Jingle Boxes
- Leathern jacks tipped with silver, and hung with bells, formerly in use among fuddle caps. CANT.
- Jingle Brains
- A wild, thoughtless, rattling fellow.
- Jinglers
- Horse cosers, frequenting country fairs.
- Job
- Any robbery. To do a job; to commit some kind of robbery.
- Job's Comfort
- Reproof instead of consolation.
- Job's Comforter
- One who brings news of some additional misfortune.
- Job's Dock
- He is laid up in Job's dock; i.e. in a salivation. The apartments for the foul or venereal patients in St. Bartholomew's hospital, are called Job's ward.
- Job, To
- To reprove or reprehend. CAMBRIDGE TERM.
- Jobation
- A reproof.
- Jobbernole
- The head.
- Jock
- or CROWDY-HEADED JOCK. A jeering appellation for a north country seaman, particularly a collier; Jock being a common name, and crowdy the chief food, of the lower order of the people in Northumberland.
- Jock, To
- or JOCKUM CLOY. To enjoy a woman.
- Jockum Gage
- A chamber-pot, jordan, looking-glass, or member-mug. CANT.
- Jogg-trot
- To keep on a jogg-trot; to get on with a slow but regular pace.
- Johnny Bum
- A he or jack ass: so called by a lady that affected to be extremely polite and modest, who would not say Jack because it was vulgar, nor ass because it was indecent.
- Joint
- To hit a joint in carving, the operator must think of a cuckold. To put one's nose out of joint; to rival one in the favour of a patron or mistress.
- Jolly
- or JOLLY NOB. The head. I'll lump your jolly nob for you; I'll give you a knock on the head.
- Jolly Dog
- A merry facetious fellow; a BON VIVANT, who never flinches from his glass, nor cries to go home to bed.
- Jolter Head
- A large head; metaphorically a stupid fellow.
- Jordain
- A great blow, or staff. I'll tip him a jordain if I transnear; i.e. I'll give him a blow with my staff, if I come near him. CANT.
- Jordan
- A chamber-pot.
- Jorum
- A jugg, or large pitcher.
- Joseph
- A woman's great coat. Also, a sheepish bashful young fellow: an allusion to Joseph who fled from Potiphar's wife. You are Josephus rex; you are jo-king, i. e. joking.
- Joskin
- A countryman. The dropcove maced the Joskin of twenty quid; The ring dropper cheated the countryman of twenty guineas.
- Jowl
- The cheek. Cheek by jowl; close together, or cheek to cheek. My eyes how the cull sucked the blowen's jowl; he kissed the wench handsomely.
- Jug
- See DOUBLE JUG.
- Juggler's Box
- The engine for burning culprits in the hand. CANT.
- Jukrum
- A licence.
- Jumblegut Lane
- A rough road or lane.
- Jump
- The jump, or dining-room jump; a species of robbery effected by ascending a ladder placed by a sham lamp- lighter, against the house intended to be robbed. It is so called, because, should the lamp-lighter be put to flight, the thief who ascended the ladder has no means of escaping but that of jumping down.
- Jumpers
- Persons who rob houses by getting in at the windows. Also a set of Methodists established in South Wales.
- Juniper Lecture
- A round scolding bout.
- Jury Leg
- A wooden leg: allusion to a jury mast, which is a temporary substitute for a mast carried away by a storm, or any other accident. SEA PHRASE.
- Jury Mast
- A JOURNIERE mast; i.e. a mast for the day or occasion.
- Just-ass
- A punning appellation for a justice.