English Explanatory Dictionary

jackleg

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Amateur, untrained; incompetent.
  2. Dishonest, unscrupulous.
  3. Ineptly built or operated; makeshift.
noun
  1. A type of drill operated by means of compressed air.
  2. An amateur; an untrained or incompetent person.
  3. A shyster or con artist; a gambler who cheats; a generally dishonest or reprehensible person.

Word forms

jackleg jacklegged jacklegs

Etymology

From jack + leg. Compare blackleg (“a person who replaces striking workers; a cheater”) and such expressions as jack of all trades, every man jack.

Derived words

jackleg fence
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