John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints

American English to British English Dictionary - J

Jack

Phone socket.

Jackleg

An incompetent or unskilled workman.

Jai Alai

 A game, somewhat similar to tennis, squash, pelota or handball, played in some parts of the USA, mainly Florida and Connecticut. The game is of Basque origin and its name means "holy day" or "merry festival" in the Basque language. Jai Alai involves the use of scoop-shaped wicker basket called a cesta strapped to the player's wrist instead of a racket. Jai Alai is played in auditorium called a fronton, the court is called the cancha and the ball is called the pelota. Jai Alai can be played by two opposing individuals or teams.

Jambalaya

A spicy Cajun dish always made with rice and combinations of seafood, chicken, turkey, sausage, peppers and onions.

JAN

Airport code for Jackson International Airport, Jackson, Mississippi.

Jane Doe or Jane Roe

See John Doe.

Janitor

Caretaker.

Java

A slang expression for coffee, but possibly only for a certain type or a certain brand of coffee. Hence the use of a coffee cup as the logo for the Java computer programming language. Apparently the name was chosen because programmers are supposed to a reputation for drinking large quantities of coffee.

Jaywalking

Crossing a road on foot other than at an intersection. Jaywalking is an offence in many areas. I suspect that crossing a road against a red "Don't Walk" light is also an offence. To be safe, cross at an intersection and if there are lights then wait for the green "Walk" sign.

JCT

Junction. This abbreviation is commonly used on road signs.

Jell-O

Similar to what the British call jelly. A trade name used as a generic term.

Jelly

What people in the USA call jelly, the British call jam.

Jelly Roll

Swiss roll.

Jerky

 My thanks to Major Jim Collins of the USAF who kindly sent me the following explanation:
Jerky is an anglicisation of an old term (Indian? French?) that means "preserved". Jerky is dried, smoked and salted meat, usually beef. However, any meat can be "jerked" - buffalo, elk, deer, reindeer, whatever. My family still makes their own elk and deer jerky. Jerky is in fact one of the few authentic American foods, the other being pemmican, which is fruits/berries mixed in with jerky and some animal fat to hold it together - tastes better than it sounds.
According to another source the word jerky comes from a word in the language of the Quechua Native Americans of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. Quechua was the main language of the Inca empire. Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary also lists the word charqui as having a similar meaning and the same source; perhaps this is a French-Canadian variant of "jerky".

Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary also states that the word pemmican is derived from the word "pimekan" in the Cree Indian language.

Jerky is widely sold in supermarkets and other stores in the USA and Canada. I can't specifically remember ever seeing pemmican on sale but that may just be a failure of my observation or memory. Both foods were originally developed by Native Americans and adopted by European travellers and explorers.

Jet Stream

A current of fast moving air in the upper atmosphere. The jet stream over North America is often marked on weather maps in the USA and Canada. Major Jim Collins of the USAF kindly sent me this explanation:
In the US, the jetstream can pull south storm systems that would otherwise stay in the Gulf of Alaska or Northern Canada. A rough rule of thumb is the more southerly the jetstream flow the more likely precipitation and cooler temperatures in the areas underneath its projected track.

Jetway

The articulated corridor between an airport terminal building and a plane. The sections of a jetway can rotate relative to each other to a limited extent enabling the end to be moved back and forth as required when a plane arrives and departs. The articulation also allows for adjustment to match the plane's exact position and the location and height above the ground of the door for each type of plane.

At most large airports in the USA, Canada, Europe and many other countries each gate has a jetway, except those gates which are used for the smallest planes, where passengers have to walk out to the planes.

At most airports the jetways only connect to a single door of the plane, usually near the front on the lefthand side. At Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport many of the jetways used for wide-bodied planes are branched and connect to two separate plane doors, both on the lefthand side.

At Dulles Airport which serves Washington DC passengers are ferried between planes and the main terminal, and between the new mid-field terminal and the main terminal, by means of mobile lounges - bus-like vehicles which have passenger compartments which are raised and lowered to connect with the doors on the terminal building and the planes. However, the mid-field terminal has jetways.

JFK

  1. John F Kennedy (1917-1963), President of the United States from 1961 to 1963.

  2. Airport code for John F Kennedy International Airport, New York City, New York State.

Jim Crow

Racial segregation and the general customs and laws that subordinated blacks as an inferior people in the USA. I do not know the derivation of the term.

JNEM

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. The official name for St Louis' Gateway Arch and the museum at its foot.

Joe

A slang expression for coffee.

John

A fairly polite slang term for a toilet.

John Doe

 A person of unknown identity, for example a dead body or a suspect to a crime. The female equivalent is Jane Doe or perhaps Jane Roe (I have seen both possibilities mentioned).

Joint

  1. A reference, usually but not always derogatory, to an establishment such as a cafe or a bar. For example, "What's new down at Harry's joint?", or more positively "This joint is jumpin!". (My thanks to Tom Wrona for the second example).

  2. A marijuana cigarette. Thanks to Lisa Fournier of Columbus, Ohio for reminding me of this meaning.

Journal

An axle bearing on a railway carriage or truck.

Jump Rope

Skipping rope.

Jump The Shark

To reach the peak of quality, after which a steady decline is inevitable. From an episode of the television series "Happy Days", where a character jumps over a shark tank on water skis. After this high point, the series declined in popularity.

Jumper

According to one source, in American English a jumper is a short dress.

Jungle Gym

A children's climbing frame.

Jury Rigged

Bodged up, solved by means of a temporary solution. From "jurymast", a temporary mast on a boat. Nothing to do with perverting the course of justice by tampering with a jury.
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Most recently modified 25-Mar-06