jackleg

[ jak-leg ]

/ ˈdʒækˌlɛg /

Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S.

Save This Word!

adjective

unskilled or untrained for one's work; amateur: a jackleg electrician.

unscrupulous or without the accepted standards of one's profession: a jackleg lawyer.

makeshift; temporary.

noun

an unskilled or unscrupulous itinerant worker or practitioner.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

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.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of jackleg

1840–50, Americanism; perhaps jack¹ + (black)leg

Words nearby jackleg

jack-in-the-pulpit, Jack Ketch, jackknife, jackknife-fish, jack ladder, jackleg, jacklight, jacklighter, Jacklin, jack mackerel, jack Mormon

How to use jackleg in a sentence

I flagged him back a piece and told him the Jackleg was there.
Yellowstone Nights|Herbert Quick
Out there in the sunshine the Jackleg looked the part, so I wondered how we come to be faked by him.
Yellowstone Nights|Herbert Quick
I reports an' asks instructions as to the best way of disposin' of Mr. Jackleg's remains.
Yellowstone Nights|Herbert Quick
This was so at Jackleg, but it gave a long vista of Main Street from the heart of the town to its outlying suburbs.
Frances of the Ranges|Amy Bell Marlowe

This train that was stopping to cast loose the special car at Jackleg was the last to stop at that station at night.
Frances of the Ranges|Amy Bell Marlowe