jerkn.1adj.2
/dʒəːk/, U.S. /dʒərk/ A. n.1
I. Senses relating to a sharp movement.† 1. A blow from a whip or stick; a stroke, a lash. Obsolete.† 4. Golf. A stroke, used to remove a ball from a bad lie, in which the club is swung steeply and the club-head is arrested by the ground after hitting the ball. Also more fully jerk shot. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > punishment > corporal punishment > [noun] > with whip or scourging > stroke or stripe
lashc1330
bendc1400
whipc1425
stripec1485
leash?a1513
jerk1555
scourge1741
switch1809
the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > [noun] > blow struck with an object or instrument > with something pliant
lashc1330
lashingc1400
jerking1552
jerk1555
whipping1577
slive1589
whissc1590
scutch1611
scutching1611
switchinga1640
cut1787
sliver1806
switch1809
welt1863
score1882
1555 W. Waterman tr. J. Boemus Fardle of Facions ii. xi. 256 To the manne..foure score ierkes or lasshes with a skourge [L. flagelli ictus].
1594 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 sig. C2, (stage direct.) After the Beadle hath hit him one girke, he leapes ouer the stoole and runnes away.
1612 J. Brinsley Ludus Lit. xxix. 288 Sometimes in greater faults, to giue three or fowre ierkes with a birch, or with a small redde willow where birch cannot be had.
1629 Z. Boyd Last Battell Soule (new ed.) 1216 Let me giue him a girke with my rodde.
1741 S. Richardson Pamela III. xxxiii. 334 Many a Jirk has the Dog had from me.
2. A quick, suddenly arrested movement; a sharp, sudden pull, throw, push, thrust, or twist.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > sudden movement > [noun] > jerking > a jerk
spang1513
lipe1545
job1560
jert1568
abraid1570
jerk1575
flirta1592
yark1610
slip1615
flerka1653
hitch1674
toss1676
hotch1721
saccade1728
surge1748
flip1821
snatch1822
fling1826
kick1835
chuckc1843
jolt1849
1575 G. Gascoigne Complaint Greene Knight in Posies 185 The stiffe and strongest arme, Which giues a ierke, and hath a cunning loose, Shootes furdest still.
1664 H. Power Exper. Philos. i. 21 Little whitish Animals, which move up and down the water with jerks.
1693 J. Dennis Miscellanies 102 Now the Operatrix falls to work, And pulls the Bone out with a Jerk.
1792 W. Withering Bot. Arrangem. Brit. Plants (ed. 2) III. 435 Seeds on the upper surface only; discharged by jerks.
1807 G. Roland Treat. Art Fencing 96 I may, with this smart sudden jirk from my wrist, strike your blade in such a manner as will leave your body quite exposed.
1871 L. Stephen Playground of Europe ii. 83 He..brought me with a jerk into a sitting position.
1886 H. P. Wells Amer. Salmon Fisherman 152 Of all the performances of the salmon, none demoralizes me like jigging..a series of short heavy jerks to the line at intervals of 3 or 4 seconds.
1938 E. Bowen Death of Heart iii. i. 327 She receipted Portia's remark with an upward jerk of the chin.
1998 Patchwork & Quilting Aug. 20/2 Pulling the thread with a jerk will cause the knot to ‘pop’ through the fabric where it will stay among the wadding.
2005 Global Aug. 32/2 Mohammed lowers in judders and jerks and eventually the rope goes slack. It takes over an hour to lower everyone down.
3.
a. Medicine. A sudden, involuntary spasmodic or convulsive movement of the body or a part of the body; (in later use) spec. a reflex contraction of a muscle or muscles in response to an external stimulus, esp. a tap on a tendon or bone during a neurological examination (frequently with distinguishing word).ankle-jerk, jaw-jerk, knee-jerk, etc.: see the first element.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > structural parts > muscle > [noun] > muscular movement
porrection1649
abduction1657
cringing1728
antagonism1744
peristalsis1847
musculation1853
fibrillation1882
jerk1895
protraction1899
flexing1902
stretch reflex1916
fasciculation1938
sliding filament1957
1706 E. Baynard in J. Floyer & E. Baynard Ψυχρολουσία (ed. 2) ii. 122 This Gentlewoman had two most severe Convulsions, at, or presently after, her first going into the Cold Bath;..but she proceeded, tho' many times with Jerks and Twitches.
1765 J. Kirkpatrick tr. S. A. D. Tissot Advice to People with Regard to Health 183 They feel, the very Moment they are dropping asleep, such violent Jirks [Fr. tressaillements ou soubresauts] as awaken them with great Pain.
1792 J. Clark Observ. Dis. Long Voy. (ed. 3) 453 The scapulæ were drawn towards each other in convulsive jerks.
1838 J. Jeanes Homœopathic Pract. Med. 318 No appetite; emaciation; constant fever..; strong jerks throughout the whole body.
1895 G. N. Stewart Man. Physiol. xii. 625 The interval which elapses between the tap and the jerk..is distinctly shorter than the reflex time of the extremely rapid lid-reflex.
1936 M. G. Eggleton Muscular Exercise viii. 181 The jerk is equally readily obtained if the skin has been de-sensitized by application of a local anæsthetic.
1968 R. Passmore & J. S. Robson Compan. Med. Stud. I. xxiv. 14/1 The presence of a normal jerk shows that the receptors are sensitive..and the responding muscle is in order.
2006 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 20 Sept. a10/3 Silas' unexplained muscle jerks might be caused by mitochondrial disease.
b. U.S. In plural. With the. A manifestation of evangelistic religious fervour characterized by involuntary convulsive or spasmodic movements of the body. Now historical.
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the world > movement > motion in specific manner > sudden movement > [noun] > spasmodic movement or twitching > resulting from religious excitement
jerk1804
1804 L. Dow Jrnl. 19 Feb. in Trav. & Providential Experience (1806) ii. i. 20 I have seen Presbyterians, Methodists, Quakers, Baptists, Church of England, and Independents, exercised with the jerks.
1805 Sprig of Liberty (Gettysburg, Pa.) 11 July A camp meeting..where it is very common for a number of the audience to have the jerks.
1876 W. S. Bryan & R. Rose Hist. Pioneer Families Missouri ii. 86 At a camp-meeting in Warren county, Miss Katy had an attack of the jerks, and getting down on her hands and feet, she began to crawl about like a measuring worm.
1927 S. Lewis Elmer Gantry ii. 24 In fact one man suspected of Holy Roller sympathies, managed to have the jerks.
2004 Jrnl. Southern Hist. 70 54 The jerks—a spasmodic, seizure-like shaking of the body—appeared occasionally in the East, though not nearly as frequently as in Kentucky.
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1887 W. G. Simpson Art of Golf ii. viii. 141 This will dawn on the beginner as he improves, and his jerks will be reserved for cupped balls.
1893 H. G. Hutchinson Golfing 36 It is only in the meeting of club and ground that the jerk occurs.
1897 Earl of Suffolk et al. Encycl. Sport I. 465/2 This stroke is called a ‘jerk’.
1898 Outing Aug. 440/1 (caption) A jerk shot with the brassey.
1922 Golfers Mag. Feb. 23/1 This shot has been described as the ‘push’ shot, and I think that is better descriptive of what happens in the making of it than the old expression the ‘jerk’ shot.
5. Weightlifting. A lift in which a barbell held at shoulder level is raised above the head in a sudden movement by straightening the arms and legs, typically as the second part of a clean and jerk (see clean n. Additions 2). Also: a similar lift involving a dumb-bell or dumb-bells.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > athletics > [noun] > weight-lifting > types of lift
dead lift1828
jerk1894
press1906
clean1913
snatch1928
cleaning1949
1894 G. M. Adam Sandow on Physical Training 232 To elevate the bells from the shoulder, the movement can be practised either with the jerk or with the slow-press motion.
1928 Health & Strength Ann. 77 Two Hands Clean and Jerk with Barbell.
1956 Muscle Power Mar. 28/1 He just failed with an attempt for a new world Jerk record of 292 [lbs].
1986 Weight Lifting (‘Know the Game’ Ser.) (ed. 2) 13 The feet should then be stepped in to hip-width prior to the jerk.
2017 @SrtaRuggaber 18 Nov. in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) PR'd my snatch (100lbs) and my clean (125lbs) but didn't totally lock out the jerk so it didn't quite count. Still SO happy though!
6. Physics. Rate of change of acceleration with respect to time.
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the world > matter > physics > mechanics > dynamics > [noun] > speed or direction as vector quality > rate of increase of velocity > rate of change of acceleration
jerk1920
1920 N. R. Campbell Physics ii. 42 We have a name for the product of mass and velocity and another for the product of mass and acceleration, but we have none for the product of the mass and ‘jerk,’ that is, the rate of change of acceleration.
1973 Nature Physical Sci. 19 Feb. 140/1 Large values of jerk (third derivative of the position of m) can occur if M is sufficiently large.
2005 Sci. Amer (U.K. ed.) Nov. 45/1 Recent laboratory impact experiments have found that certain strains of bacteria can survive the accelerations and jerks (rates of changes of acceleration) that would be encountered during a typical high-pressure ejection from Mars.
2010 W. L. Cleghorn Mech. Machines (Internat. ed.) vii. 268 Higher values of jerk often correspond to increased noise levels under operation conditions.
7. With the. A dance, popular in the 1960s, in which alternate arms are raised and lowered with a jerking movement.
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society > leisure > dancing > types of dance or dancing > jerky dances > [noun]
pogoing1921
truck1935
trucking1935
jerk1964
bump1967
1964 D. Julian The Jerk (transcribed from song, perf. ‘The Larks’) Do the jerk.
1964 Progress Rev. (La Porte City, Iowa) 3 Dec. 11/2 I've chosen the new dance, the jerk, as the scapegoat.
1966 N.Y. Times Mag. 9 Jan. 106/2 There is the Watusi, basically a side-to-side stumble, the Shake, and the Jerk—whose movements come as no surprise to old fans of burlesque.
1969 N. Cohn Pop from Beginning ix. 84 Dance-crazes bossed pop right up until the Beatles broke... The Jerk and the Block.
1996 Q Jan. 146/4 The perfect Cheesy Listening party soundtrack, in which Cortez..shunts us through the twist, the watusi, the swim, the frug, the jerk, and indeed, any other ridiculous dance that springs to mind.
II. Figurative senses relating to speech, sound, or literary style.† 8. † 9. A brief phrase of song uttered by a songbird. Obsolete.
a. An insulting or mocking remark; a cutting jibe. Obsolete.
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the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > derision, ridicule, or mockery > caustic or ironic ridicule > [noun] > instance of
gesta1387
quippy1519
quip1532
irony1534
nip1549
taunta1566
slent?1567
gamegall1577
yark1577
veny1586
jerk1590
wipe1596
glance1602
satire1606
by-wipe1641
quib1656
trait1704
skit1727
slant1825
ironism1842
wiper1846
by-quip1855
satirization1868
snapper1890
crack1896
1590 ‘Pasquil’ First Pt. Pasquils Apol. sig. A4v The dislike that some had of the ierke which I gaue to Fryer Sauanarol.
1642 J. Milton Apol. Smectymnuus 26 Who he is..under whose contempt and jerk these men are not deservedly falne?
1741 S. A. Laval Compend. Hist. Reformation IV. viii. 912 He..omitted not to slide into his Speech some Jerks against the Doctrine..of the Jesuits.
b. A witty or lively remark. Obsolete.
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the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > wit, wittiness > wit with words > [noun] > instance of
crank1594
wits, fits, and fancies1595
jerk1598
quirk1600
tongue-squib1628
dictery1632
repartee1637
quip1645
good thing1671
bon mot1735
a play on (also upon) words1761
sally1781
wordplay1794
southboarda1805
mot1813
smartism1830
1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost iv. ii. 125 Smelling out the odoriferous flowers of fancie? the ierkes of inuention. View more context for this quotation
1606 N. Breton Choice, Chance, & Change sig. G3 At last, one merry fellowe comes out wyth his ierke.
1628 J. Taylor Wit & Mirth (title page) Wit and Mirth, Chargeably collected out of Tauernes,..[etc.]. Made vp, and fashioned into Clinches, Bulls, Quirkes, Yerkes, Quips, and Ierkes.
a1652 R. Brome Novella iv. i. sig. L6, in Five New Playes (1653) Sir, use your jerks and quillets at the bar.
1889 A. H. Bullen Musa Proterva Pref. Some happy jerk of fancy or playful sally of wit.
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the world > animals > birds > sound or bird defined by > [noun] > song
songeOE
lay13..
notec1330
shouting1508
record1582
charm1587
roundelay1588
ramage?1614
ornithology1655
jerk1675
birdsong1834
roll1933
1675 J. Blagrave New Additions Art Husbandry (new ed.) 93 The Hens [sc. throstles] will Record as well as the Cocks, but it is with short catches and jerks.
1768 T. Pennant Brit. Zool. (new ed.) II. 333 They [sc. the call-birds] invite the wild ones by what the bird-catchers call short jerks.
1794 P. Wakefield Mental Improv. (1801) I. 58 The invitation is given by what is called Jerks, in the language of the birdcatchers.
10. A break in the flow of a piece of speech or writing; a sudden change in style or subject matter.
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society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > inelegance > [noun] > spasmodic movement
jerka1695
a1695 A. Wood Modius Salium (1751) 18 Dr. Kettle would say of Seneca's Style that he wrote, as a Boar pisses,—by Jerks.
1818 W. Hazlitt Lect. Eng. Poets i. 24 The jerks, the breaks, the inequalities and harshnesses of prose, are fatal to the flow of a poetical imagination.
1883 S. C. Hall Retrospect Long Life I. 322 His wit was more like a jerk than the flow it had once been.
1945 Mod. Lang. Rev. 40 227 Mrs Frank..invites the query whether it is worth while..cultivating such a jumbled French style, made up of parenthetical jerks to the sentence and faded literary blossoms.
1990 Philosophy 65 242 It is a style with tics and jerks. Sentence after sentence has its comma-caged parenthesis.
III. Slang and colloquial senses.† 11. North American slang. A branch or minor railway line; a train that services such a line. Cf. jerkwater n. 1. Obsolete. rare.
ΚΠ
1895 J. London And 'Frisco Kid came Back in Ægis (Oakland High School, Calif.) 4 Nov. 2/2 I struck a jay town on de C. B. and Q. jerk an' got hoodooed.
1907 J. London Road 26 By mistake I had missed the main line and had come over a small ‘jerk’ with only two locals a day on it.
12. colloquial (originally U.S.). Originally: an inept or pathetic person; a fool. Now: an objectionable or obnoxious person. Usually with reference to a male. Cf. jerk-off n. 2.
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the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupid, foolish, or inadequate person > foolish person, fool > [noun] > of small significance
dud1721
lightweight1831
tit1881
mess1891
schmuck1892
schmendrick1897
Little Willie1901
schlepper1901
wally1922
klutz1925
twerp1925
twit1934
jerk1935
schmo1937
shmegegge1937
schlep1939
sad sack1943
no-hoper1944
Joe Schmo1947
jerko1949
nerk1955
prat1955
schmucko1959
Herbert1960
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > unimportance > [noun] > one who is unimportant > of little worth
toy1573
puny1579
puisne1592
urchin1593
short-arse1706
rip1781
snip-jack1846
twopence1866
jerk1935
1935 A. J. Pollock Underworld Speaks 63/2 Jerk, a boob; chump; a sucker.
1938 New Republic 7 Sept. 129/1 A jerk not only bores you but pats you on the shoulder as he does so.
1945 Daily Express 11 Sept. 2/4 See this lighter? A dying Jerry gave it to me. I gave the jerk a smoke from my last cigarette.
1950 E. Hemingway Across River & into Trees xxxiii. 208 The brown-nosers..and all the jerks.
1958 Listener 15 May 802/1 If..the sponsors get eight letters saying that their comedian is an idiot, or a foul-mouthed jerk, they're terrified.
1968 N. Cruz & J. Buckingham Run Baby Run (1993) v. 67 ‘Let's steal a car and go for a ride.’ ‘You got one in mind?’ I asked. ‘Yeah man, right around the block. It's a beaut and some jerk's left the keys in it.’
1997 ‘S. Shem’ Mount Misery x. 281 Malik..was grinding his fist into my scalp, making it burn... ‘What the hell are you doing, you jerk?’
2004 Digital Photographer No. 24. 37/2 Generally, assholes are kept to a minimum because it doesn't do people much good to come in front of the camera if they're being a jerk.
B. adj.2 North American colloquial.
1.
a. Of a place: small, insignificant, or inferior; second-rate. Also: relating to or belonging to such a place. Esp. in jerk town. Cf. jerkwater adj. 2.
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the mind > goodness and badness > inferiority or baseness > inferior thing > [adjective]
salec1299
bastarda1348
sorry1372
slight1393
shrewd1426
singlec1449
backc1450
soberc1450
lesser1464
silly?a1500
starven1546
mockado1577
subaltern1578
bastardly1583
wooden1592
starved1604
perishing1605
starveling1611
minor1612
starvy1647
potsherd1655
low1727
la-la1800
waif1824
lathen1843
one-eyed1843
snide1859
bobbery1873
jerkwater1877
low-grade1878
shoddy1882
tinhorn1886
jerk1893
cheapie1898
shaganappi1900
buckeye1906
reach-me-down1907
pissy1922
crappy1928
cruddy1935
el cheapo1967
pound shop1989
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > unimportance > [adjective] > paltry, mean, or contemptible
unworthlyc1230
wretcha1250
seely1297
vilec1320
not worth a cress (kerse)1377
the value of a rushc1380
threadbarec1412
wretched1450
miserable?a1513
rascal1519
prettya1522
not worth a whistlea1529
pegrall1535
plack1539
pelting1540
scald1542
sleeveless1551
baggage1553
paltering1553
piddling1559
twopenny1560
paltry1565
rubbish1565
baggagely1573
pelfish1577
halfpenny1579
palting1579
baubling1581
three-halfpenny1581
pitiful1582
triobolar1585
squirting1589
not worth a lousea1592
hedge1596
cheap1597
peddling1597
dribbling1600
mean1600
rascally1600
three-farthingc1600
draughty1602
dilute1605
copper1609
peltry?a1610
threepenny1613
pelsy1631
pimping1640
triobolary1644
pigwidgeon1647
dustya1649
fiddling1652
puddlinga1653
insignificant1658
piteous1667
snotty1681
scrubbed1688
dishonourable1699
scrub1711
footy1720
fouty1722
rubbishing1731
chuck-farthing1748
rubbishy1753
shabby1753
scrubby1754
poxya1758
rubbishly1777
waff-like1808
trinkety1817
meanish1831
one-eyed1843
twiddling1844
measly1847
poking1850
picayunish1852
vild1853
picayune1856
snide1859
two-cent1859
rummagy1872
faddling1883
finicking1886
slushy1889
twopence halfpenny1890
jerk1893
pissy1922
crappy1928
two-bit1932
piddly1933
chickenshit1934
pissing1937
penny packet1943
farkakte1960
pony1964
gay1978
1893 Cent. Mag. Oct. 804/2 Village..Jerktown.
1912 Philadelphia Inquirer 1 Sept. (Mag. section) 3/1 Think I'm goin' to skate down this here mountain.., just 'cause that jerk village is a-burnin'?
1923 Hamilton (Ohio) Evening Jrnl. 23 Jan. (Mag. Story & Feature section) 14/5 Some jerk Senator from North Dakota.
1950 M. Markey Dr. Jeremiah v. 98 He's hiding all his dirty work behind the fact that some jerk college gave him an M.D.
1977 B. Gifford Kerouac's Town 14 ‘This is a jerk town,’ says the other. ‘Nothing here.’
2012 B. Keys Every Night's Sat. Night ii. 31 That first..tour..went from Prince Edward Island, near Nova Scotia, to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, with every little jerk town in between.
b. Designating a branch or minor railway line, or a train that services such a line. Cf. jerkwater adj. 1. Now rare.
ΚΠ
1900 Paystreak (Sandon, Brit. Columbia) 14 July The Canadian Northern is the sloppiest kind of a second-hand, jack-leg jerk line.
1902 J. London in Bookman Aug. 543/1 I remember being ‘ditched’ on a little ‘jerk’ road in the French country near Montreal.
1946 Boston Sunday Globe 8 Sept. 22 a/2 There was an engineer operating on a little jerk line where derailments were commonplace.
1948 Times Herald (Olean, New York) 5 Feb. 2/2 The Public Service Commission will not reopen the case of ‘the jerk’ train to Buffalo.
2. Originally: foolish, stupid, inept. Now: deliberately irritating or obnoxious. Usually designating or with reference to a male. Cf. jerk-off adj. 2.
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the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > foolishness, folly > [adjective]
dizzyc825
unwisec825
redelessOE
unwittyc1000
daftlikec1175
witlessc1175
canga1225
adoted?c1225
cangun?c1225
egedec1225
cangeda1250
foola1250
snepea1250
aerwittec1275
sotlyc1275
unslyc1275
unwitterc1275
unwilya1300
nicec1300
goosishc1374
unskilfulc1374
follyc1380
lewdc1380
mis-feelinga1382
dottlec1390
foltedc1390
peevishc1400
fona1425
fonnishc1425
foliousa1450
foolisha1450
daft?c1450
doitedc1450
dotyc1450
daffish1470
insapientc1470
gucked?a1500
wanwittya1500
furious1526
insipient1528
seelya1529
dawish?1529
foolage1545
momish1546
base-wittedc1547
stultitiousa1549
follifulc1550
senseless1565
mopish1568
fondish1579
unsensiblea1586
fondly1587
dizzardly1594
follial1596
featlessc1598
fopperly1599
gowkeda1605
inept1604
simple1604
anserine1607
foppish1608
silly ass1608
unsage1608
wisdomless1608
fool-beggeda1616
Gotham1621
noddy1645
badot1653
dosser-headed1655
infrunite1657
nonsensicalc1661
slight1663
sappy1670
datelessa1686
noddy-peaked1694
nizy1709
dottled1772
gypit1804
shay-brained1806
folly-stricken1807
fool-like1811
goosy1811
spoony1813
niddle-noddle1821
gumptionless1823
daftish1825
anserous1826
as crazy as a loon1830
spoonish1833
cheese-headed1836
dotty1860
fool-fool1868
noodly1870
dilly1873
gormless1883
daffy1884
monkey-doodle1886
mosy1887
jay1891
pithecanthropic1897
peanut-headed1906
dinlo1907
boob1911
goofy1921
ding-a-ling1935
jerky1944
jerk1947
jerkish1948
pointy-headed1950
doofus1967
twitty1967
twittish1969
nerkish1975
numpty1992
the mind > emotion > anger > irritation > [adjective] > irritating
stinginga1250
provocativea1600
nettling1607
provokinga1643
provocating1651
urging1655
aggravating1685
irritating1707
piquing1794
enfevering1799
naggy1825
exasperative1837
raspish1854
exasperating1858
nagging1859
riling1860
provocatory1870
irritative1878
enraging1880
irritant1885
naggish1885
antagonizing1896
teasy1901
soddish1922
pissy1930
jerk1947
needling1958
1947 B. Schulberg Harder they Fall i. 15 A jerk thing Nick did, bringing him along so fast.
1953 R. Ellington Just killing Time (1955) xiii. 81 Night before last I thought you were just a jerk blowhard who was trying to act tough.
1974 Philadelphia Inquirer 4 Mar. 2 a/2 These jerk liberals come in here and try to tell us how to live.
2003 D. Glib Gritos 229 Your son, who's fifteen. Fifteen, one of those jerk years. The years when you can..be faced with the age-old fatherly question: does he want me to kick his ass?
Phrases
ΚΠ
1681 T. Dangerfield More Shams Still 13 (margin) A happiness many of the Irish have by the benefit of their Consciences, that they can pay Debts with a jerk, and not be constrain'd to lye lurking and gusling away their precious time in White-Fryers among Sharpers.
1689 L. Braddon Innocency & Truth Vindicated 89/2 My Lord having heard the Papists had resolved to cut his Throat, was afraid they would..not do it like themselves, but botchingly..and therefore that it might be done..at a jerk, and all perfectly finish'd at a stroak, he was resolved to do it himself, and did it effectually.
1694 tr. G. P. Marana Lett. Turkish Spy VIII. iii. v. 162 Accept of my Labours, which, tho' Mean, yet are Voluntary, Chearful, and done at a Jerk.
1706 E. Baynard Cold Baths in J. Floyer Anc. Ψυχρολουσια Revived (rev. ed.) ii. 115 To leave that and other Vices gradatim, and not at a jerk.
1706 Honest London Spy 114 Leave no Man at home to play at Cards with her, whilst you step to the Coffee-House to read the News; for remember, the Business of Cuckold-making, is always done with a Jerk.
P2. British colloquial (originally Military). to put a jerk in it (also to put a jerk into it): to act quickly or vigorously; to hurry up, to get a move on. Frequently in imperative. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > act or do vigorously [verb (intransitive)]
twig1573
to go at ——1675
to go it1794
to come it1796
to lay it on thick1806
to blaze away1826
bushwhack1837
steam1842
split1844
rustle1882
to work like a demon1884
yank1888
go-at-it1904
to go somea1911
to put a jerk in it1919
to go (also do) one's (also a) dinger1923
to work (etc.) one's ass off1924
to go to town1933
to gie (or give) it laldy1974
1919 Athenæum 25 July 664/2 ‘Physical jerks’ dates from war-time, as does also the admonition ‘put a jerk in it’, which is the equivalent of the ante-bellum ‘jump to it’.
1921 N. Kent Quest M. Harland ii. viii. 241 ‘I like to see young people enthusiastic. Put a jerk in it, can't you?’ ‘A—a what?’ stammered Anthea, tottering. ‘Put a jerk in it,’ repeated Roger.
1939 C. Day Lewis Child of Misfortune iii. ii. 271 Put a jerk in it. I'm meeting my boy at the second house at the Royal.
1974 ‘J. Ross’ Burning of Billy Toober xv. 147 If you put a jerk into it, you'll probably have something for me by lunchtime.
Compounds
jerkbait n. Angling an artificial bait mimicking a small fish, with hooks and a bill which causes it to dive when the fishing line is pulled or reeled in.
ΚΠ
1966 Biloxi-Gulfport (Miss.) Daily Herald 17 Feb. 34/1 There are..three types of baits that might be referred to as topwater. One is the floating bait that dives when retrieved, such as the..bomber jerk-bait.
1992 Great Lakes Fisherman Jan. 24/1 My jerkbait had landed in a particularly ‘pikey’ looking break in the lily pads.
2013 Bassmaster June 43 (caption) Dyer changes jerkbait colors..to meet changing sky conditions.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2019; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
jerkadj.1n.2
/dʒəːk/, U.S. /dʒərk/ A. adj.1
1. Chiefly U.S. Designating meat, esp. beef, that has been cured by being cut into long, thin strips and dried. Now chiefly historical.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > [adjective] > relating to meat > other qualities of meat
green1577
slink1607
gelded1621
tenellous1651
jerk1743
staggy1933
1743 J. Bulkeley & J. Cummins Voy. to South-seas 166 They entertain'd us with good Jurk-Beef, roasted and boil'd, with good white Bread.
1807 Courier 19 June A cargo of jerk beef.
1883 Galveston (Texas) Daily News 12 July Jerk meat, damper and coffee are just as hard to relish here as it is on the plains, and the boys are all sick for a square meal.
1986 L. A. Pederson et al. Ling. Atlas Gulf States: Concordance [Texas] Jerk beef = beef jerky; we used to make it.
2001 Brownsville (Texas) Herald 29 Aug. c2 Lunch was carried on the person of the soldier and consisted of such basics as jerk beef and hard tack.
2. In Jamaican cookery: designating meat (esp. pork or chicken) which has been marinated in a spicy mixture of seasonings (typically including allspice and Scotch bonnet chilli peppers) before being smoke-cured or barbecued; (also) designating a seasoning or sauce used in this method of preparation.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preserving or pickling > [adjective] > preserved in a marinade
marinate1659
marinated1659
jerked1826
jerk1928
1928 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 24 Mar. John Rankine... Butcher and jerk-pork seller.
1930 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 10 May 9/6 You could also buy on the race course from the jerk pork men a quattie jerk pork with bread and mustard.
1986 Los Angeles Times (Nexis) 20 July Chicken, fish (whole whitings) pork and ribs are smothered in ‘jerk’ seasonings.
1991 Chile Pepper June 7/1 At least six different brands of jerk sauces are now being manufactured in the U.S.
2001 Y. Brissett in L. Ross & Y. Brissett Whispers in Walls 69 He'd cooked us a wicked dinner earlier. Rice and peas, jerk chicken, sweet potato candy and homemade coleslaw.
B. n.2
1. U.S. Meat that has been cured by being cut into long, thin strips and dried; jerky. Now historical.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > preserved meat > [noun] > dried meat
mummy1666
vivdaa1688
charqui1688
pemmican1743
pounded meat1775
tasajo1783
taureau1794
jerk1799
biltong1815
tasso1841
jerky1848
bak kwa1960
1799 J. Smith Acct. Remarkable Occurr. 65 We jirked the lean, and fryed the tallow out of the fat meat, which we kept to stew with our jirk as we needed it.
1851 W. De Hass Hist. Early Settlements vii. iii. 389 As soon as daylight appeared, the captain started to where they left some jerk hanging on the evening before.
1918 Janesville (Wisconsin) Daily Gaz. 15 June 9/1 I've got a nice young doe all jerked up an' if you're fond o' jerk I'll bring yo down some to-morrer.
1998 J. R. Woolard Cold Moon xv. 173 I started shelling the nuts with my knife while Michaela laid strips of jerk on a slab of bark.
2. In Jamaican cookery: meat (esp. pork or chicken) which has been marinated in a spicy mixture of seasonings (typically including allspice and Scotch bonnet chilli peppers) before being smoke-cured or barbecued; (also) the marinade or seasonings traditionally associated with jerk pork, chicken, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > meat dishes > [noun] > meat or fish dishes
chewet14..
escabeche1699
ballotine1846
teriyaki1962
jerk1966
teppan-yaki1970
tataki1971
chermoula1974
1966 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 13 Jan. 12 If some private concern would finance the jerk-men, so that they could cook more than once a week, and also arrange for the meat to be sold in the hotels around Jamaica, then perhaps jerk could be projected as a Jamaican product.
1986 Los Angeles Times 29 June (Calendar section) 101/3 The traditional dry marinade for pit-broiled meats—jerk—has been around Jamaica for more than 100 years.
1993 Observer 14 Mar. 13/4 Traditional island foods, including ‘jerk’.
2001 B. Geddes World Food: Caribbean 136 Your first bite of jerk may lead you to believe that hot pepper is used by the bowlful. However, the most essential ingredient is allspice.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2019; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
jerkv.1
/dʒəːk/, U.S. /dʒərk/ I. Senses relating to a sharp movement.† 1. transitive. To strike (a person or animal) with a whip, switch, or stick; to whip, to lash. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > punishment > corporal punishment > administer corporal punishment [verb (transitive)] > with cane, birch, or switch
yerda1225
baleys1377
whisk1530
jerk1550
wanda1585
switch?1611
canea1667
bamboo1816
birch1830
the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > strike with specific thing [verb (transitive)] > strike with an object > with something pliant
yarka1529
jerk1550
whissa1578
cut1607
scutch1611
slash1660
lashc1694
whip1699
switch1832
1550 M. Coverdale tr. O. Werdmueller Spyrytuall & Precyouse Pearle vi. sig. Cvv Than he beateth and gierketh vs a lytle wyth a rodde.
1570 J. Foxe Actes & Monumentes (rev. ed.) I. 102/1 Whip him with scourges, iercke hym with rods.
1593 G. Harvey New Let. Notable Contents sig. Cijv I may..chearne him like a dish of butter or girke him like a hobling gig.
1607 T. Walkington Optick Glasse 89 They..are worthy to bee iirkt with..lashes.
1673 F. Kirkman Unlucky Citizen 281 He now being naked, [they] Slapt and Jerkt him with all their strength.
1709 Brit. Apollo 21–23 Sept. An Ox cheek Old Woman..he firk'd, And..a Fruiterer Jirk'd.
2.
a. transitive. To move (something) with a quick, suddenly arrested movement; to give a sudden thrust, push, pull, or twist to. Frequently with adverb of direction.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > sudden movement > cause to move suddenly [verb (transitive)] > jerk
braida1000
hitch1440
spang1513
jog1548
jert1566
jerk1582
gag1587
to toss up1588
tossa1618
thrip1674
shrug1678
flip1712
hotch1823
switch1842
slirt1870
hoick1898
quirk1978
1582 G. T. tr. R. Parsons Epist. Persecution Catholickes in Eng. 124 He steppeth furth, and vp he Ierketh his hands, & white of his eyes to heauen ward.
?1589 T. Nashe Almond for Parrat sig. 5v Would you not laugh to see Cli. the Cobler, and New. the souter, ierking out theyr elbowes in euerie Pulpit?
1607 ‘W. S.’ Puritaine iii. sig. Ev Let him play a litle, weele ierk him vp of a sudaine.
a1661 B. Holyday tr. Juvenal Satyres (1673) viii Though some grave friend..jerk his whip for notice.
1790 Lawyer's & Magistrate's Mag. Feb. 22 I wanted to know to whom the hand belonged, and jerking it up, I found that it belonged to the prisoner.
1849 H. Mayo On Truths Pop. Superstit. (1851) 81 To..jerk and swing the limbs.
1863 A. J. Horwood Year Bks. Edward I p. xxxvii The rope broke not by reason of the holders moving or jerking it, but by reason of its weakness.
1865 J. R. Lowell Ode at Harvard Commem. 13 We poor puppets, jerked by unseen wires.
1875 W. S. Hayward Love against World 18 He jerked the horse's mouth roughly.
1972 Evening Telegram (St. John's, Newfoundland) 24 June 14/3 Pedalling is an art and must be done smoothly, in order not to jerk the sled.
1994 T. Clancy Debt of Honor xlii. 654 He pulled back on the stick, jerking his fighter up and away from the Strike Eagle.
2017 S. K. Ali Saints & Misfits 163 He takes in a sudden sharp breath, jerks his left arm, and widens his eyes, pupils returning to life.
b. transitive. To throw or toss (something) with a quick, suddenly arrested movement; to pull (something) out of a particular location with a jerk. Frequently with prepositional phrase expressing direction. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > impelling or driving > projecting through space or throwing > throw [verb (transitive)] > suddenly
shootc1075
flapc1320
flatc1330
spang1513
yark1568
flirt1582
cant1685
jerk1708
flip1712
shuttle1823
spring1884
1708 tr. P. Bayle Misc. Refl. Comet II. cclxii. 536 The falling of a Stone which one has jerk'd into the Air, constantly and necessarily follows the Action of him who cast it.
1776 S. J. Pratt Liberal Opinions III. 84 A young man who wanted to see if he could not hit the old woman on the head, by sending a halfpenny as he would play at taw and so wantonly..jerkt it at me from his finger and thumb.
1786 F. Burney Diary 4 Nov. (1842) III. 209 I had the greatest difficulty to save myself from being suddenly jerked into the middle of the room.
1858 H. W. Longfellow Courtship Miles Standish iv. 138 Then from the rattlesnake's skin, with a contemptuous gesture, Jerking the Indian arrows, he filled it with powder and bullets.
1903 Bk. News Monthly (U.S.) Dec. 501 This presentation is more pleasing than the too brief sentences, jerked from their context, by which Chesterfield is often introduced to the casual reader.
1910 Washington Post 1 Apr. 8/4 On two occasions yesterday he fairly jerked the ball to first base.
2005 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 31 Mar. c1/5 In a split second, kickback can jerk the saw out of your hands or shoot the piece of wood you're cutting back toward you.
c. transitive. U.S. colloquial. To draw (a gun) from its holster.
ΚΠ
1866 J. B. Hickok in R. I. Holcombe Hist. Greene County, Missouri (1883) 767 I saw John Orr jerk his pistol and put it up against the man.
1877 Boonville (Indiana) Weekly Inquirer 16 June Young Purdum, forgetful of his filial duty, also jerked his gun and shot old Bill in the jaw.
1939 Street & Smith's Western Story Mag. 23 Sept. 81/2 Drake rolled to a sitting position, jerked a six-gun with each hand and met them with a hail of lead.
1959 I. Jefferies Thirteen Days ii. 29 The idea was to jerk the gun and fire it off like a rattle.
2012 R. Cotton Wildfire (e-book ed.) ‘Teach you to jerk a shotgun on me.’ He reached his boot out and gave the wounded man a kick.
d. transitive. Weightlifting. To lift (a weight on a barbell) from shoulder level to above the head by straightening the arms and legs in a sudden movement, typically as the second part of a clean and jerk (see clean v. Additions). Also: to lift (a dumb-bell or dumb-bells) in a similar way. Cf. jerk n.1 5.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > athletics > contend in athletics [verb (transitive)] > lift
jerk1891
clean1936
1891 J. R. Judd Compl. Syst. Treatm. Care Body 204 Hercules next picked up a bell of 155 lbs. with his left hand, and jerked the weight up.
1936 Health & Strength 26 Sept. 455/3 I can jerk 180 lb to arms' length from the shoulders but cannot ‘clean’ more than 154 lb.
1956 Strength & Health Nov. 18/2 A lifter should, by these means, be able to Jerk 5–10 kilos more than he can Clean.
2013 @NewbiWanKenobi 16 Nov. in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) Matched my clean PR twice today by cleaning 255 LBs. Couldn't jerk it though.
3. intransitive. To move with a jerk or jerks; to give a jerk.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > sudden movement > make sudden movement [verb (intransitive)] > jerk
hotchc1440
hitch?1518
jerk1606
flounce1609
fluce1627
yarka1640
quirk1821
flip1862
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > sudden movement > make sudden movement [verb (intransitive)] > make spasmodic movement > twitch
jerk1606
twitch1832
fidge1883
1606 G. Chapman Sir Gyles Goosecappe ii. sig. C4 Your dauncers legges bow for-sooth, and Caper, and Ierke, and Firke, and dandle the bodie aboue them.
1693 G. Stepney tr. Juvenal in J. Dryden et al. tr. Juvenal Satires viii. 157 Nor blush shou'd he some Grave Acquaintance meet, But, (proud of being known) will Jerk and Greet.
1782 E. Blower George Bateman III. 7 He..making but one step..to the street door, jerked out of the house.
1833 H. Martineau Berkeley the Banker i. vii. 136 The door jerked open.
1874 E. Eggleston Circuit Rider xiv. 130 He..was seized with that curious nervous affection which originated in these religious excitements... He jerked violently—his jerking only adding to his excitement, which in turn increased the severity of his contortions.
1889 J. M. Barrie Window in Thrums xx. 191 Jess's head jerked back involuntarily.
1962 J. Braine Life at Top xix. 222 She turned the ignition key; the car jerked forward convulsively, then stopped.
1984 M. A. Jarman Dancing nightly in Tavern 98 The red dials and VU meters jerk with each power surge, Howling Wolf's deep blues oscillating on the stereo at full volume.
2003 K. Sampson Freshers 28 ‘Everything OK there, mate?’ He jerks back round as though snapping out of reverie.
II. Figurative senses relating to speech or style.† 4. † 6. intransitive. Of a songbird: to utter a brief phrase of song. Obsolete.
a. transitive. To subject (a person or thing) to mocking criticism; to attack verbally. Cf. sense 1. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > derision, ridicule, or mockery > caustic or ironic ridicule > ridicule caustically or ironically [verb (transitive)]
touch1526
jerk1565
quip1572
quirk1596
satire1602
satirize1619
sarcasmatize1716
iron1793
to wise off1943
1565 [implied in: R. Shacklock tr. S. Hozjusz Hatchet of Heresies f. 82 They.., following the example of theire Master Luther can not staye themselues from stuffing all theire bokes, with mockyng and mowing, iyrkyng and yerkyng, stingyng and wrynggin farre otherwyse then it becometh Christians. (at jerking n.1 2)].
1601 N. Breton No Whippinge, nor Trippinge sig. B6v To beat downe sinne, to ierke it with a scoffe.
1606 Returne from Pernassus i. ii. sig. B2 Acute Iohn Dauis, I affect thy rymes, That ierck in hidden charmes these looser times.
1616 W. Browne Britannia's Pastorals II. i. 28 My busied pen Shall ierke to death this infamy of men.
1710 E. Ward Vulgus Britannicus: 3rd Pt. x. 114 A Third Man..with much Pleasure Jirks the Church, As if his Words were Rods of Birch.
1747 S. Foote Rom. & Eng. Comedy 9 In the Morning I was jerk'd for reading a Comedy of Congreve's, and in the Afternoon was again turn'd up for not being prepared in a bawdy Scene.
b. intransitive. To direct mocking criticism at; to sneer. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > derision, ridicule, or mockery > caustic or ironic ridicule > use caustic or ironic ridicule [verb (intransitive)]
quip1542
slent1567
quib1580
quirk1596
jerk1611
ironize1638
to Lucian it1655
iron1813
skit1821
to come the acid1917
1611 L. Barry Ram-Alley iv. sig. H You, That ierke at my halfe sleeues, and yet your selfe Doe neuer weare but Buckerom out of sight.
a1643 W. Cartwright Ordinary (1651) iv. v. 74 You must be jerking at the times forsooth.
1649 J. Milton Εικονοκλαστης viii. 72 By the way he jerkes at some mens reforming to models of Religion.
a1704 T. Brown To Lords in Council in Wks. (1707) I. i. 95 Prologues so witty, That Jirk at the City.
5. transitive. Chiefly with out. To express (something) in a jerky or abrupt manner; to utter (words or sounds) sharply and shortly, or in stops and starts. Also with direct speech as object.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > manner of speaking > say in a particular manner [verb (transitive)] > haltingly or jerkily
hobblea1529
jerk1602
yark1604
1602 J. Marston Antonios Reuenge i. iii. sig. B4 How yon Cornet ierketh vp His straind shrill accents.
1796 T. Townshend Summary Def. Edmund Burke 33 There is no continued orderly gradation, but you jerk out your opinions in a most regular confusion indeed.
1838 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby (1839) xviii. 170 ‘Gracious!’ cried Kate, almost paralysed by the violence with which the adjective had been jerked out from between Miss Knag's closed teeth.
1883 S. C. Hall Retrospect Long Life I. 145 His sentences seemed jerked out.
1892 Sat. Rev. 30 Jan. 127/2 Make Madame Sphinx jerk out her riddle-stuff and call it poetry?
1921 McClure's Mag. June 9/3 ‘There's a good bit of talk about him,’ she jerked out finally.
1952 Grit (Williamsport, Pa.) 10 Feb. (Story section) 5/3 ‘All right. Let's get to it.’ The speaker jerked his words out nervously.
1999 K. Grenville Idea of Perfection xii. 184 They talked among themselves, jerking out the words too quickly for him to catch.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > sound or bird defined by > [verb (intransitive)] > sing
singOE
chant?a1500
record1590
firdon16..
warble1606
jerk1768
tootle1820
roll1886
1768 T. Pennant Brit. Zool. (new ed.) II. 334 The bird-catchers frequently lay considerable wagers whose call-bird can jerk the longest.
1774 D. Barrington in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 63 263 A very experienced catcher of nightingales hath informed me, that some of these birds have jerked the instant they were caught.
III. Slang and colloquial senses.† 7. transitive. slang. Of a man: to have sexual intercourse with (a woman). Cf. yark v.2 10. Obsolete. Also occasionally with a part of the body as object.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > engage in sexual activity with [verb (transitive)] > have sexual intercourse with > specifically of a man
jape1382
overliec1400
swivec1405
foilc1440
overlay?a1475
bed1548
possess1592
knock1598
to get one's leg over1599
enjoy1602
poke1602
thrum1611
topa1616
riga1625
swingea1640
jerk1650
night-work1654
wimble1656
roger1699
ruta1706
tail1778
to touch up1785
to get into ——c1890
root1922
to knock up1934
lay1934
pump1937
prong1942
nail1948
to slip (someone) a length1949
to knock off1953
thread1958
stuff1960
tup1970
nut1971
pussy1973
service1973
1650 H. Neville Newes from New Exchange 6 She is a great wit, and playes with an old Sophister..who jerks her both behind, and before.
1671 W. Hicks Oxf. Jests 61 A Maid going to the Mill, the Miller jerkt her; and all the way home she cryed, O the lusty Miller of our Town!
1706 in H. Playford Wit & Mirth (new ed.) IV. 24 Who used to Jerk the Bum of his wife; And she was forced to stand on her Guard, To keep his clutches from her Quoiff.
8. transitive. U.S. colloquial. To dispense (drinks, esp. soda or beer) at a soda fountain, bar, or other establishment.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > providing or serving drink > [verb (transitive)]
birleOE
drenchc1000
shenchOE
adrenchc1275
to drink to1297
tap1401
skinkc1405
propinec1450
brince?1567
liquor1575
to do right1600
dram1770
butler1826
jerk1868
to set up1880
drink1883
bartend1948
to break out1962
1868 Davenport (Iowa) Daily Gaz. 22 Feb. A highly intelligent jury decided that Molly Fitzgerald & Co. owned the saloon, and had a right to jerk beer to their heart's desire.
1883 G. W. Peck Peck's Bad Boy xiii. 126 Well, I must go down to the sweetened wind factory, and jerk soda!
1923 Sunday State Jrnl. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 16 Sept. His partner was in the bar..personally jerking drinks for his thirsty patrons.
1971 Iowa City Press-Citizen 29 July 10 a/2 George, one of the more colorful characters, took pleasure in ‘jerking beer’ and often would go on with old tales of his youth.
1989 M. Norman These Good Men vi. 163 In high school he..jerked soda in an ice-cream parlor.
2012 N.Y. Times Mag. 14 Oct. 130/1 While jerking espresso and sweeping the floors there, he happened to meet the company's founder.
9. transitive. colloquial. To masturbate (a man, or a man's genitals). Cf. to jerk off 2 at Phrasal verbs.
ΚΠ
1889 [implied in: A. Barrère & C. G. Leland Dict. Slang I. 497/2 Jerking, masturbation. (at jerking n.1 4)].
?1927–8 J. Fliesler Anecdota Americana 137 I've been screwed, sucked, jerked, everything.
1969 P. Roth Portnoy's Complaint 204 Jerk your precious little dum-dum ad infinitum!
2012 @kezbrazy 17 July in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) This dude in the car next to me is jerking his meat!
Phrasal verbs
With adverbs in specialized senses. to jerk around to jerk off
1. transitive. To grab, to yank around with force; to handle roughly.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > violent behaviour > treat violently [verb (transitive)] > treat violently or roughly
to lay hands (or hand) on or upon (also in, to)OE
ransacka1400
attamec1430
ruffle1489
tug1493
to shear against the wool1546
rumble1570
finger1572
to pull about1679
misguggle1814
rowdy1825
to jerk around1833
scrag1835
rough1845
hooligan1898
roughhouse1898
savage1899
to rough up1915
to treat 'em rough1918
1833 Maryland Republican (Annapolis) 14 Sept. He was seized by the breast and jerked around by Mr. Danahay.
1859 Indiana Farmer Mar. 404/1 Did you not see him take the good man by the colar [sic], and push and jerk him around as though he intended to hurt him?
1948 Washington Post 21 Jan. The policemen..grabbed Clegg... They probably jerked him around a little.
1995 P. Bourgois In Search of Respect (1997) i. 38 And they take your arm like this... And they jerk it around.
2008 R. C. Heimbuch Five Brothers in Arms viii. 42 I checked the guns... They had received considerable rough handling. I had jerked them around rather violently.
2. colloquial (originally and chiefly North American).
a. transitive. To mess about with; to waste (a person's) time; to inconvenience, make trouble for.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > disadvantage > uselessness > inconvenience > affect with inconvenience [verb (transitive)]
trouble1516
misease1530
incommodatea1575
inconveniencea1656
run1697
incommode1702
disannul1794
disconvenience1821
to put about1825
to put out1851
to jerk around1877
to bugger about1921
to dick around1944
to fuck around1955
to bugger around1961
to screw around1967
to fuck about1975
to cock around1990
to dick about1996
to cock about2009
1877 Amer. Socialist 22 Feb. 63/3 Society is too complex to willingly allow men to jerk us around in that uncomfortable way.
1952 Washington Post 26 Feb. (Compl. Capital ed.) 11/1 Hell, from the way you've been jerking me around you don't need me.
1979 G. Chesbro Affair of Sorcerers xix. 308 I think you've all been witched-out, Krowl; Smathers was just jerking around the bunch of you.
2009 J. Kellerman True Detectives xviii. 170 You jerk me around, we're through.
b. intransitive. To mess about; to pass time in a frivolous way, with no definite aim or serious intent; to waste time. Cf. to jack around 2 at jack v.2 Phrasal verbs.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > inaction > idleness, lack of occupation or activity > be idle or unoccupied [verb (intransitive)] > potter or waste time in trifling activity
trifle?a1400
loiterc1400
tiffc1440
tifflec1440
to pick a salad1520
to play the wanton1529
fiddle1530
dauntc1540
piddle1545
dally?1548
pittlea1568
pingle1574
puddle1591
to thrum caps1594
maginate1623
meecha1625
pudder1624
dabble1631
fanfreluche1653
dawdlea1656
taigle17..
niff-naff1728
tiddle1747
peddle1755
gammer1788
quiddle1789
muddle1791
browse1803
niddle1808
poke1811
fal-lal1818
potter1824
footer1825
putter1827
shaffle1828
to fool about1838
mike1838
piffle1847
mess1853
to muck about1856
tinker1856
bohemianize1857
to fool around1860
frivol1866
june1869
muss1876
to muddle about (also around)1877
slummock1877
dicker1888
moodle1893
to fart about1899
to fart about (or around)1899
plouter1899
futz1907
monkey1916
to arse around1919
to play around1929
to fuck around1931
tool1932
frig1933
boondoggle1935
to muck around1935
to screw around1935
to bugger about1937
to bugger around1939
to piss about1943
to dick around1948
to jerk around1953
fart-arse1954
to fanny around1969
slop1973
dork1982
to twat around (or about)1992
to dick about1996
1953 R. Tallant Love & Mrs. Candy 51 ‘How you be?’ ‘I'm just jerking around.’
1973 Dominion-News (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1 June 10 a/4 The government is just jerking around like they always do.
1993 Frederick (Maryland) Post 7 Sept. b2/2 Finish the Carroll Creek project. Stop jerking around. Finish it!
2006 Billboard 5 Aug. 25/2 You have to utilize the time you're out here...There's a lot of bands that don't. They just jerk around.
1. intransitive. colloquial. Of a man: to masturbate.
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the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > masturbation > masturbate [verb (intransitive)]
frig1598
mastuprate1623
masturbate1839
to jerk off1865
rub1902
to rub up1902
wank1905
to jack off1916
to pull one's (or the) pud (also pudding, wire, etc.)1927
to toss off1927
to play pocket billiards1940
to beat one's meat1948
to wank off1951
whack1969
to choke the chicken1975
fap2001
1865 ‘Philocomus’ Love Feast vi. 61 I'll jerk off, thinking of thee.
1947 A. Bernstein Home is the Hunted 152 Big enough for a bush and jerking off like crazy, disconcerted and embarrassed by the riches of manhood flooding through your bones, veins, and gizzard.
1971 B. Malamud Tenants 202 The mother..dies unattended, of malnutrition, as Herbert jerks off in the hall toilet.
2004 A. Vona Bad Girl 51 She went to the bathroom and somehow accidentally walked in on him jerking off.
2. transitive. colloquial. To masturbate (a man). Also reflexive. Cf. sense 9.
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the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > masturbation > masturbate [verb (reflexive)]
masturbate1857
to play with ——1879
to toss off1879
frigc1890
touch1892
to jerk off1904
to pull off1909
jackc1930
diddle1960
to jack off1967
manipulate1971
the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > other types of sexual activity or intercourse > engage in other types of sexual activity or intercourse [verb (transitive)] > stimulate genitals of (a person) > cause to have orgasm by
frig1598
milk1616
to toss off1879
wank1905
to pull off1909
to bring off1916
to jerk off1969
masturbate1974
1904 J. Pawson Testimony (Kings County Court, N.Y.) in People of N.Y. against Emerson Colburn (Case on Appeal, N.Y. Supreme Court Appellate Div., 2nd Dept.) 5 He..grabbed the front of my pants and pulled them open and started to jerk me off and grabbed me by the hand and tried to make me jerk him off.
1969 P. Roth Portnoy's Complaint 177 She will jerk off one guy, but only with his pants on.
1975 D. Lodge Changing Places ii. 90 He would be holed up somewhere, jerking himself off and drooling over the Playboy pix.
1985 O. Clark Diary 14 May (1998) 171 I went to the sauna in St Martins Lane—a guy jerked me off.
2006 N. S. Dhaliwal Tourism ix. 200 She sat up, grinding herself on me, jerking me off while I tongued her.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2019; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
jerkv.2
/dʒəːk/, U.S. /dʒərk/ 1. transitive. To cure (meat, esp. beef) by cutting it into strips and drying it; to make jerky out of.
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the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preserving or pickling > pickle or preserve [verb (transitive)] > dry
pine1560
spit1617
deese1682
jerk1709
charqui1820
sun-cure1885
dehydrate1921
1709 W. Dampier Contin. Voy. New-Holland iv. 141 In the close of the Evening they returned accordingly, with eight Hogs more, and a little live Pig; and by this time the other Hogs were jerk'd and salted.
1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson iii. ii. 305 He..was sent hither with twenty-two Indians to jerk beef.
1772 J. Adams in tr. A. de Ulloa Voy. S. Amer. (ed. 3) II. 329 Killing cattle; more for the sake of their hides, and tallow, than their flesh; of which, nevertheless, they jerk great quantities for the use of such ships as sail from Pernambuco.
1804 P. Gass Jrnl. 24 June (1807) 19 At 12 we stopped to jirk our meat, and again proceeded at two.
1860 R. F. Burton in Jrnl. Royal Geogr. Soc. 1859 29 202 When a bullock is killed they either jerk the meat, or dry it upon a dwarf platform of sticks raised above a slow and smoky fire.
1953 D. Cushman Stay away, Joe 50 When my father went out to hunt, the squaw followed him..with poles and lines to jerk the meat.
1989 I. Frazier Great Plains viii. 146 He's the fella that taught me how to jerk buffalo meat.
2. transitive. In Jamaican cookery: to marinate (meat, esp. pork or chicken) in a spicy mixture of seasonings (typically including allspice and Scotch bonnet chilli peppers) before smoke-curing or barbecuing it.Jerking was originally practised by Jamaican maroons as a way of cooking and preserving the meat of wild hogs.
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the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preserving or pickling > pickle or preserve [verb (transitive)] > preserve in marinade
marine1566
marinate1645
marill1653
murine1656
marinado1682
marinade1727
jerk1903
1903 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 15 Oct. 10/2 The Maroons make a great deal of money by jerking pork.
1998 J. DeMers Food of Jamaica i. 28/1 Everything that can be jerked in a smoke-filled converted oil drum is jerked at Faith's Pen.
2007 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 19 Dec. f1 O'Neill Reid, who jerks the chicken and makes the stews, said that the beauty of black cake is that despite local differences, it's always the same.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2019; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1adj.21555
adj.1n.21743v.11550
v.21709