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Added 10 October 2026

jackleg

adjective

Categories: Obscure Words

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). More about jackleg at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  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.

Origin

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

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Related Words: jackleggedjankyjackassedraggedy-asspatzerishjankjocklikeschwaghammyjackedjunky

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