JACK
— Jack (voc.) (colloq.): fellow, mister (used esp. with a male stranger in a contentious way) >Watch it, Jack, or you’ll be sorry! Beat it, Jack!
— jack (vt) (sl.): steal >He jacked a car, then totaled it when the cops were chasin’ him.
— ([neg.]) jack (sl.): nothing at all >We didn’t do jack at work today. >He knows jack about radios.
— jack around (vt) (sl.): mislead, deceive (esp. to delay s/one) >Stop jackin’ me around and give me the info I need.
* jack off (vi, vt) (vulg.): masturbate (said of a male) >He said he jacked off a lot when he was a kid. >He said he asked her to jack him off.
* jack up (vt) (colloq.): increase, raise (esp. a price) >Every time someone even mentions inflation, that store jacks up its prices.
JACKOFF
— jackoff (vulg.): person who passes time idly, person who works halfheartedly or unproductively >You don’t expect that jackoff to get ahead in life, do ya?
JACKPOT
— hit the jackpot (see HIT)
JACK SHIT
— ([neg.]) jack shit (... shit) (vulg.): nothing at all >I want jack shit from you! >We didn’t understand jack shit of what he said.
JAG
* Jag (jag) (colloq.): Jaguar automobile >My new Jag cost me a fortune, but it sure drives nice.
— ... jag (colloq.): period of intense ..., period of overindulgence in ..., ... binge >His last drinking jag lasted three days. >Let her have her crying jag, and she’ll feel better.
JAILBAIT
— jailbait (sl.): girl under the age of legal consent for sex (usually sixteen to eighteen) (seen as off-limits as a sexual partner due to the sanctions against statutory rape) >Forget about his younger sister—she’s jailbait.
JAILBIRD
— jailbird (colloq.): prisoner, ex-convict >You better watch your step, or you’re going to end up a jailbird. >They don’t care what he served time for—they don’t want any jailbirds working for them.
JALOPY
— jalopy (jә lop´ē) (colloq.): old or dilapidated automobile >This old jalopy doesn’t look like much, but it gets me to work.
JAM
* jam (colloq.): awkward or difficult situation, predicament >I want to see how Quinn gets himself out of the jam he’s in with the tax people.
— jam up (vt) (sl.): create obstacles or difficulties for >It’s really gonna jam us up if they don’t pay us on time.
JAMMIES
* jammies (jam´ēz) (colloq.): pajamas (used esp. with small children) >Bedtime, Mikey—let’s put on your jammies.
JAM-PACKED
* jam-packed (colloq.): completely full, crowded >The cart was jam-packed with food. >You can hardly move around in that jam-packed mall.
JAP
— Jap (jap) (sl., pej.): Japanese >Don’t call the Japanese Japs, stupid! >Don’t call it Jap food, dummy!
— JAP (= “Jewish-American Princess”) (sl., pej.): Jewish girl (stereotyped as materialistic and self-centered) >Sheila really hates all those awful JAP jokes.
JAVA
— java (jav´ә/jä´vә) (sl.): brewed coffee >Bring us a couple of cups of java, will ya?
JAYBIRD
— (as) naked as a jaybird (see NAKED)
JAZZ
— jazz1 (sl.): nonsense, false or exaggerated story, lie >Don’t give me that jazz about your car breakin’ down on your way here.
— jazz2 (sl.): liveliness, enthusiasm, spirit >Put a little jazz in your life—try water skiin’.
— jazz3 (sl.): similar things, related items >They sell tents, backpacks, camp stoves—all that jazz. >He studies radio, electronics, jazz like that.
* jazz4 (vt) (sl.): excite, enthuse >He got everyone jazzed about the tour.
* jazz up (vt) (sl.): enliven, make exciting, embellish >We got to jazz his speech up a little. >I see they’ve jazzed up the place since I was last here.
JAZZY
— jazzy (jaz´ē) (sl.): lively, flashy, showy >He drove by in a real jazzy Cadillac convertible.
JEEPERS
— jeepers (creepers)! (jē´pәrz ...) (colloq.): (interj. to express surprise, wonder, or concern) >Jeepers! Where did that big dog come from? >Jeepers creepers! I’m going to get home real late.
JEEZ
** jeez! (jēz) (colloq.): (interj. to express surprise, wonder, or disappointment) >Jeez! I wish I could run like that.
JELLYFISH
— jellyfish (colloq.): person of weak character or resolve >That jellyfish won’t stand up to him.
JERK
** jerk (sl.): foolish and contemptible person, socially obnoxious or insensitive person (also voc.) >Who invited that jerk, anyway? >Did ya hear him ask her if she was wearin’ a wig? What a jerk! >Buzz off, jerk!
— jerk around1 (vi) (sl.): pass time idly, work halfheartedly or unproductively >He got fired for jerkin’ around on the job too much.
— jerk around2 (vt) (sl.): mislead, deceive, (esp. to delay s/one) >If the cops find out you’ve been jerkin’ ‘em around with false information, you’re gonna be in deep trouble.
* jerk off (vi, vt) (vulg.): masturbate (said of a male) >He said he jerks off when he’s horny. >He paid the hooker to jerk him off.
JERKWATER
— jerkwater town (colloq.): remote and insignificant town >She grew up in some jerkwater town, but made it big as an actress in New York.
JERKY
— jerky (sl.): foolish and contemptible, socially obnoxious or insensitive >That jerky kid down the street just rode his bike through Mom’s flower bed.
JESUS FREAK
— Jesus freak (colloq., freq. pej.): fundamentalist Christian (esp. a zealous, young one) >The Jesus freaks were holding a prayer meeting at the park.
JEW
* Jew (colloq., pej.): Jewish >The jerk said he didn’t want to eat any Jew food.
* jew down (vt) (sl., pej.): bargain with (s/one) until (he/she) reduces a price >He said they were askin’ five hundred dollars, but he jewed ‘em down to four.
JIBE
— jibe (jīb) (vi) (colloq.): be in accord, fit logically >His story doesn’t jibe with what the other kid told us.
JIFF
— in a jiff (... jif) (colloq.): in an instant, in a very short time >I’ll have this ready for you in a jiff.
JIFFY
— in a jiffy (... jif´ē) (colloq.): in an instant, in a very short time >Wait here—I’ll be back in a jiffy.
JIG’S
— the jig’s up (sl.): the game or scheme is over, it’s futile to continue (a deceit or wrongdoing), there’s no chance left >The jig’s up—they found out that he’s been embezzlin’ funds.
JILLION
— jillion (jil´yәn) (colloq.): very many, a huge number (of) >There were a jillion people at the concert.
JIM-DANDY
— jim-dandy (jim´dan´dē) (colloq., dtd.): excellent, top-quality >They’ve bought theirselves a jim-dandy new house.
JIMINY
— jiminy! (jim´ә nē) (colloq.): (interj. to express surprise or wonder) >Jiminy! Did you see that falling star?
JINGLE
— give [s/one] a jingle (colloq.): telephone [s/one] >I’ll give you a jingle tomorrow to let you know what’s happening.
JINX
* jinx1 (jingks) (colloq.): thing or person seen as bringing bad luck >You’re a jinx. Every time you’re with me in Las Vegas, I lose.
* jinx2 (vt) (colloq.): bring bad luck to >Don’t celebrate till we’ve won, or you’ll jinx us.
JITTERS
— the jitters (... jit´әrz) (colloq.): nervousness, nervous shaking or agitation >I get the jitters just thinking about speaking in front of all those people.
JIVE
— jive1 (jīv) (sl.): nonsense, false or exaggerated story, lie >Don’t go believin’ that jive about some big business deal he’s workin’ on.
* jive2 (vi, vt) (sl.): speak nonsense (to), exaggerate (a story) (to), tease >He’s just jivin’ when he says he’ll take ya to Houston with him. >Did she really, or are ya just jivin’ me?
— jive3 (sl.): deceitful, pretentious >Don’t trust that jive dude. >Get outta here with your jive bullshit!
JOB
* job (sl.): criminal act (esp. a theft or robbery) >They pulled a convenience store job and then got outta town.
— do a job on1 (sl.): defeat or beat severely >Those guys really did a job on Casey after he picked a fight with ‘em.
— do a job on2 (sl.): deceive, mistreat, hurt >He did a job on his wife when he dumped her for that teenage bimbo. >Dugan did a real job on his thumb with the power saw.
— have [one’s] work/job cut out for [one] (see WORK)
— ... job (sl.): distinctive type of ..., example of ... >Whose little Italian job is that parked out front? >How much is that chrome job with the pearl handle?
— lay/lie down on the job (see LAY)
— on the job (colloq.): alert, observant >The supervisor was really on the job to catch that little defect.
JOCK
** jock (jok) (sl., freq. pej.): athlete (esp. one obsessed by athletics) (also adj.) >Do those jocks ever study? >He’s a great athlete, but he doesn’t have a jock mentality.
JOCKEY
— jockey (vi, vt) (colloq.): drive, maneuver, manipulate (s/thing) >See if you can jockey the truck in back of the store. >He’s jockeying for the chairmanship of the committee. >Let me jockey these figures around and see if I can get them to come out right.
— ... jockey (colloq.): driver or operator of a ..., ... controller >We need some good bulldozer jockeys for the highway project. >All the tank jockeys were out on maneuvers.
JOE
* Joe ... (colloq.): the typical ... (type or group of men) >Joe Taxpayer is tired of government waste. >When Joe Union Member hears about this, he’s going to go out on strike.
* ... Joe (colloq.): ... man, ... fellow >The average Joe doesn’t give a damn about local politics. >Kyle’s a good Joe. He’ll help us out.
JOE BLOW
— Joe Blow (sl.): the average man >Joe Blow doesn’t care about the details, just about how it’s gonna affect him.
JOE SIX PACK
— Joe Six Pack (sl.): the average man >Just wait until Joe Six Pack hears about all the waste and corruption in city government.
JOHN
* john1 (sl.): toilet, bathroom >If ya gotta use the john, it’s down the hall.
— john2 (sl.): prostitute’s customer >They arrested a hooker and her john in the motel room.
JOHN HANCOCK
* [one’s] John Hancock (jon´han´kok) (colloq.): [one’s] signature >Just put your John Hancock on the dotted line, and it’s all legal.
JOHN HENRY
— [one’s] John Henry (jon´hen´rē) (colloq.): [one’s] signature >That’s his John Henry on the contract, all right.
JOHN Q. PUBLIC
— John Q. Public (colloq.): the average or typical citizen >Do you think John Q. Public really knows why they passed that legislation?
JOHNSON
— [one’s] johnson (sl.): [one’s] penis >He pulled out his johnson and took a leak.
JOIN
* join the club! (sl.): I’m/we’re in that situation too! you’re not the only one to suffer or experience that! >You flunked the psych exam? Join the club! Most of us did.
JOINT
* joint1 (sl.): marijuana cigarette >He was just sittin’ there smokin’ a joint and listenin’ to music.
* joint2 (sl.): public establishment or accommodation (esp. a cheap, dilapidated, or disreputable one) >I ain’t gonna eat in this joint. >When are ya gonna move outta this crummy joint? >He eats at that hamburger joint.
— have [one’s] nose (all) out of joint (see NOSE)
— put [s/one’s] nose (all) out of joint (see NOSE)
— the joint (sl.): prison >He spent a couple of years in the joint for auto theft.
JOKER
* joker (sl.): man, guy (esp. seen as obnoxious or contemptible) >Some joker in a pickup truck slammed into my rear fender.
JOLLIES
— get [one’s] jollies (... jol´ēz) (sl.): have capricious or mischievous fun, get [one’s] thrills or excitement >They get their jollies by overturnin’ trash cans late at night.
JONESES
— keep up with the Joneses (see KEEP)
JOSH
— josh (josh) (vi, vt) (colloq.): jest or joke (with), tease >Take it easy, man! I’m just joshing. >Are you joshing me? That can’t be right.
JOYSTICK
— joystick (colloq.): control lever of a vehicle or machine >This joystick controls the whole video game.
JUG
— the jug (sl.): jail >I gotta go bail old Rufus outta the jug.
JUGS
— jugs (sl., freq. vulg.): (woman’s) large breasts >He said the dancer had some jugs on her!
JUICE
— juice1 (colloq.): electrical energy >This air conditioner uses a lot of juice.
— juice2 (sl.): liquor >Pete’s been hittin’ the juice pretty hard lately—he needs to dry out.
— juice up (vt) (colloq.): enliven, make exciting >They should have juiced up the movie with a little sex and violence.
JUICED
— juiced (up) (sl.): drunk >Meryl was pretty juiced by the time the party ended.
JUICY
* juicy (colloq.): exciting, scandalous >I’ve got a juicy bit of gossip about Dora’s sister. >Tell me about it, and give me all the juicy details!
JUMBO
** jumbo (jum´bō) (colloq.): very large (size) (also noun) >Buy the jumbo size—you know how those boys eat. >Give the kid a regular popcorn, and I’ll take a jumbo.
JUMP
* jump1 (vt) (colloq.): assault or attack without warning (esp. from ambush) >They jumped him on the corner and stole his watch.
* jump2 (vi) (sl.): be full of noisy or exciting activity, have a festive atmosphere >That joint was really jumpin’ Saturday night.
— a hop, skip, and a jump (see HOP)
— (about) jump out of [one’s] skin (colloq.): be very startled, become very frightened >She about jumped out of her skin when she heard the shot.
* get the jump on (colloq.): get a head start on, gain an initial advantage over >They got the jump on us, so we’re going to have to work real hard to catch up.
— go jump in the lake! (sl.): get out of here! stop annoying me! >Ah, you and your conspiracy crap! Go jump in the lake!
** jump all over (colloq.): severely scold or rebuke, verbally attack >The boss jumped all over me just because I forgot to lock the storeroom.
— jump at (colloq.): eagerly take (an opportunity) >I’d jump at the chance to act on Broadway.
— jump/skip bail (colloq.): flee while free on bail >He jumped bail and left town.
— jump [s/one’s] bones (sl., freq. vulg.): have sex with [s/one], get physical with [s/one] (in order to have sex) >Man, would I like to jump her bones!
* jump down [s/one’s] throat (colloq.): respond to [s/one] quickly and angrily, rebuke or criticize [s/one] immediately and violently (for what he/she has said) >Susan jumped down Rich’s throat before he even finished his crack about women.
— jump on (colloq.): scold or rebuke, verbally attack >Don’t go jumping on me! It wasn’t my fault.
— jump/hop/get on the bandwagon (see BANDWAGON)
— jump ship (colloq.): abandon (a group or cause), withdraw (one’s) support (for an enterprise) >If they don’t show results soon, their investors are going to jump ship.
* jump the gun (colloq.): begin before (one) should, act too hastily >Let’s not jump the gun—we’ll wait a day or two and see what develops.
— jump through hoops (colloq.): do anything (that s/one orders or requests) unquestioningly >She’s got him eating out of her hand and jumping through hoops. >He’d jump through hoops for his boss.
* one jump ahead (of) (colloq.): having already foreseen or acted on (s/thing) (before), one step ahead (of) >I’m one jump ahead of you—I already took care of it. >You got to stay one jump ahead, or you can lose control of the situation quick.
JUMPY
** jumpy (jum´pē) (colloq.): nervous, easily startled >You’re acting real jumpy. How much coffee have you had today?
JUNGLE BUNNY
— jungle bunny (sl., pej.): black person >He called Leroy a jungle bunny, so Leroy call him a jive honky.
JUNK
** junk1 (colloq.): (one’s) belongings, things in general >Tell him not to leave his junk on my bed! >Get your junk and let’s go. >What do you want me to do with all the junk on the porch?
— junk2 (sl.): heroin >He robs people to get money to buy junk.
** junk3 (colloq.): worthless, low-quality, cheap >I hate getting all this junk mail. >You should fix you some good meals instead of eating all that junk food.
— hunk/pile/piece of junk (colloq.): dilapidated or useless machine (esp. an automobile) >Why don’t you trade in that hunk of junk on a new car? >This pile of junk’s beyond repair.
— [one’s] junk (sl., vulg.): (one’s) genitalia (a man’s) >His pants were so tight you could see his junk.
JUNKER
— junker (jung´kәr) (sl.): dilapidated or useless automobile (esp. one not worth repairing) >We can’t give ya much for this junker.
JUNK HEAP
— junk heap (colloq.): dilapidated or useless automobile >How does he get to work and back in that junk heap?
JUNKIE
** junkie (jung´kē) (sl.): heroin addict >Mostly junkies and hookers live there.
— ... junkie (colloq.): ... enthusiast or devotee, person with an excessive desire for ... >The guy’s a tennis junkie—plays twice a day, every day. >You bought seven different flavors?! You’re a real ice cream junkie.
JUST
— just not be that into [s/one] (see INTO)
— you just ain’t (a-)whistlin’ Dixie! (see WHISTLING)