# J.J
J, j /dʒeɪ/ pl. J's, j's n [C,U] the tenth letter of the English alphabet
J abbrev. for JOULE or JOULES
jab¹ /dʒæb/ v -bb- [l+adv/prep;T+obj+adv/prep] to push (something pointed) hard; strike quickly from a short distance: He jabbed his fork into the meat. | Careful! You might jab my eye out with that stick. | She jabbed me in the ribs with her umbrella. | He jabbed angrily at the page with his finger.
$ jab^{2} $ n 1 a sudden forceful push with something pointed 2 infml, especially BrE for INJECTION: Have you had your jabs for Africa yet? | a cholera jab
jab•ber /ˈdʒæbər/ v [l(AWAY);T (OUT)] to talk or say quickly and not clearly: I can’t understand you if you keep jabbering (away) like that. | He jabbered (out) a confused apology.—jabber n [S;U] a jabber of excited voices —~er n
jack¹ /dʒæk/ n 1 a piece of equipment for lifting a heavy weight, such as a car, off the ground → see also JACK UP 2 also knave BrE — [(of] a playing card with a picture of a man on it and a rank between the ten and the queen: the jack of hearts → see Cultural Note at CARDS 3 the small white ball at which the players aim in the games of BOWLS and BOULES 4 an electronic connection for a telephone or other electric device → see also MAN JACK, UNION JACK
jab·ber·wock·y /ˈdʒæbəwɒkɪl-bərwɑː-/ n [U] a piece of nonsense, written as a poem, or spoken (from the nonsense poem Jabberwocky by Lewis CARROLL in Through the Looking-Glass)
jack sthg. ⇔ in phr v [T] BrE slang to stop; give up: As soon as I've got enough money I'm going to jack this boring job in.
jack off phr v [|;T] AmE taboo slang for MASTURBATE
jack sthg. ⇔ up phr v [T] to lift with a jack: Jack up the car. [fig.] They've jacked up the price. (=increased it a lot)
jack·al /ˈdʒækɔːl, -kəl/ n an African and Asian wild animal of the dog family, which often eats what other animals have killed
jack·a·napes /'dʒækəneɪps/ n pl. -napes [C usually sing.]
old-fash a child who plays annoying tricks
Jack and Jill /,dʒæk ən 'dʒɪl/ two children in a NURSERY RHYME (=an old song or poem for young children):
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water;
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.
Jack and the Bean·stalk /ˌdʒæk ˈndðə ˈbiːnstɔːk/ also Jack the 'Giant-killer a FAIRY TALE (=old story for children) about a boy called Jack who sells his mother's cow for some magic beans. His mother angrily throws these beans out of the window, but by the next day they have grown into a tall BEANSTALK (=the main stem of a bean plant). Jack climbs up it into the clouds, where he finds a GIANT's castle. He enters it and finds a magic HEN (=a female chicken) that produces golden eggs. The giant notices Jack, saying 'Fee fi fo fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman', but Jack manages to escape, stealing the hen, and goes back down the beanstalk. The giant tries to follow him, but when Jack arrives back on the ground he cuts down the beanstalk, the giant falls and dies, and Jack becomes rich as a result of the golden eggs. In the UK, this story is often used in PANTOMIMES.
jack·ass /ˈdʒækəs/ n 1 infml taboo in AmE a person who behaves foolishly: Don't be a jackass – come down off the roof! 2 now rare a male ASS → see also LAUGHING JACKASS
jack·daw /ˈdʒækdə/ n a bird of the CROW family, believed to steal small bright objects
jack·boot /ˈdʒækbuːt/ n 1 [C] a military boot which covers the leg up to the knee 2 [the] the cruel rule of military men, often used in association with the Nazis in Germany: living under the jackboot
'jack cheese n [C;U] another name for MONTEREY JACK (=a type of cheese sold in the US)
jack·et /ˈdʒækʃt/ n. 1 a short coat with SLEEVEs: a tweed jacket | A man's three-piece suit includes a jacket, trousers, and a waistcoat. | It's in my jacket pocket. → see also LIFE JACKET, NORFOLK JACKET 2 BrE the skin of a cooked potato: potatoes baked in their jackets | a jacket potato 3 an outer cover for certain machines or containers that get very hot 4 a DUST JACKET 5 AmE a SLEEVE for a record: He wrote the jacket notes (=information on the sleeve) for her new album.
,Jack 'Frost n [singular] a way of describing FROST¹ as a person, used especially when talking to children
jack·ham·mer /ˈdʒæk,hæmər/ n especially AmE for PNEUMATIC DRILL
'jack-in-the-box n a children's toy which is a box from which an amusing figure on a spring jumps when the top is opened: He jumps up like a jack-in-the-box whenever the phone rings.
'Jack in the Box trademark a chain of FAST FOOD restaurants in the US, that sells HAMBURGERS and Mexican food
'jack knife n pl. jack knives /-navv/ 1 a knife with a blade that folds into the handle 2 a DIVE in which the body is bent and then straightened before entering the water
jack-knife v [1] (especially of a two-part vehicle) to bend suddenly in the middle and go out of control: The articulated lorry skidded and jack-knifed.
,jack-of-'all-trades n (sometimes cap.) a person who can do many different kinds of work (but who may not be very good at any of them)
jack-o'-lan-tern /ˌdʒækəˈlaentənl-ərn/ n (sometimes cap.) a lamp made by putting a candle inside a hollow PUMPKIN which has had holes cut into it in the shape of eyes and a mouth. Jack-o'-lanterns are often made at Halloween.
jack·pot /ˈdʒækˈpot/ -pɑːt/ n the biggest amount of money to be won in a game of cards or in any competition decided by chance → see also hit the jackpot (HIT $ ^{1} $)
jack·rab·bit /'dʒæk,ræbʌt/ n a large N American HARE with long ears
Jack 'Robinson before you can/could say Jack Robinson old-fashioned very quickly or suddenly
,Jack 'Russell also ,Jack ,Russell 'terrier n a type of small short-haired dog with short legs. A Jack Russell is white with black or brown MARKINGS. → see picture at DOG
jacks /dʒæks/ n [P] a children's game in which the player tries to pick up small metal objects (jacks) while she or he is bouncing (BOUNCE) a rubber ball at the same time, using only one hand
Jack·son, Andrew /ˈdʒæksən/ (1767–1845) a US soldier and politician in the Democratic Party who was the President of the US from 1829 to 1937. He became popular because of his success as a military leader in the battles against the CREEK tribe in 1812 and against the British in 1815. His picture is printed on the US twenty-dollar BILL.
Jackson, Bo /bəʊ/ (1962-) a US BASEBALL and American football player
Jackson, Col•in /'kɒlənl'kɑː-/ (1967-) a British HURDLER (=a runner who jumps over special fences in a race) who was world CHAMPION in 1992 and won many races in the 1990s
Jackson, Glen·da /'glendə/ (1936-) a British actress who later became a politician. She won two Oscars, for Women in Love (1969) and A Touch of Class (1973), and she appeared on British television as Queen Elizabeth I in a famous series called Elizabeth R (1971). She was elected as a MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT in 1992, and was a minister in the Labour government from 1997 to 1999.
Jackson, Jan·et /ˈdʒænʃt/ (1966-) a US pop singer and actress, popular especially in the 1980s and 1990s, and known for her dancing as well as her singing. She is the sister of singer Michael Jackson. Her songs include That's the Way Love Goes and Together Again.
Jackson, Michael (1958–) a very successful US POP SINGER, songwriter, and dancer. As a child, he was a member of the Jackson Five in the 1970s. He then worked on his own and became even more successful with the ALBUMS Thriller (1982) and Bad (1987), and with his exciting performances in concert. Over the years, his appearance has changed, and he