jack-in-the-box

or jack-in-a-box

[ jak-in-thuh-boks ]

/ ˈdʒæk ɪn ðəˌbɒks /

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noun, plural jack-in-the-box·es.

a toy consisting of a box from which an enclosed figure springs up when the lid is opened.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of jack-in-the-box

First recorded in 1545–55

Words nearby jack-in-the-box

Jackie, jackie tar, jack in, jacking engine, jack-in-office, jack-in-the-box, jack-in-the-green, jack-in-the-pulpit, Jack Ketch, jackknife, jackknife-fish

How to use jack-in-the-box in a sentence

The jack-in-the-box has popped, just as we expected it to, but it still made us gasp.
Amanda Bynes Wigs Out|Kevin Fallon|May 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A little drawer shoots out almost in my face, startling me like a jack-in-the-box.
Belford's Magazine, Vol. II, No. 3, February 1889|Various
Sergeant Jimmy Bagby kept bobbing up and down like a pudgy jack-in-the-box that is slightly stiff in its joints.
The Escape of Mr. Trimm|Irvin S. Cobb
Jack-in-the-box was the minister, because the little mistress thought he stood better than anyone else.
Sandman's Goodnight Stories|Abbie Phillips Walker

Out of the jungle of machinery way back a head popped up like a Jack-in-the-box.
The Brain|Alexander Blade
Inside I compressed one of those jack-in-the-box snakes that spring out when free to do so.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 156, May 21, 1919.|Various

British Dictionary definitions for jack-in-the-box

jack-in-the-box

noun plural jack-in-the-boxes or jacks-in-the-box

a toy consisting of a figure on a compressed spring in a box, which springs out when the lid is opened

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012