jackleg

jackleg
/jak"leg'/, Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S.
adj.
1. unskilled or untrained for one's work; amateur: a jackleg electrician.
2. unscrupulous or without the accepted standards of one's profession: a jackleg lawyer.
3. makeshift; temporary.
n.
4. an unskilled or unscrupulous itinerant worker or practitioner.
[1840-50, Amer.; perh. JACK1 + (BLACK)LEG]

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • jackleg — jack·leg …   English syllables

  • jackleg — jack•leg [[t]ˈdʒækˌlɛg[/t]] Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. 1) dial. unskilled or untrained; amateur 2) dial. lacking professional scruples; unethical 3) dial. makeshift; temporary 4) cvb dial. an unskilled or unscrupulous itinerant… …   From formal English to slang

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