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jack-in-the-boxes

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jack-in-the-box

[jak-in-thuh-boks]
–noun, plural -box⋅es.
a toy consisting of a box from which an enclosed figure springs up when the lid is opened.
Also, jack-in-a-box.


Origin:
1545–55
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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jack-in-the-box   (jāk'ĭn-thə-bŏks')
n.   pl. jack-in-the-box·es or jacks-in-the-box (jāks'-)
A toy consisting of a clownlike puppet that springs out of a box when the lid is activated.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

jack-in-the-box 
1570, originally a name for a sharp or cheat, "who deceived tradesmen by substituting empty boxes for others full of money" [Robert Nares, "A Glossary of Words, Phrases, Names, and Allusions," London, 1905]. As a type of toy, it is attested from 1702.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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