Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Nearby Words

jerkwater

 - 3 dictionary results

jerk⋅wa⋅ter

  [jurk-waw-ter, -wot-er]
Use jerkwater in a Sentence
–adjective
1. Informal. insignificant and out-of-the-way: a jerkwater town.
2. (formerly) off the main line: a jerkwater train.
–noun
3. (formerly) a train not running on the main line.
Origin:
1875–80, Americanism; jerk 1 + water; so called from the jerking (i.e., drawing) of water to fill buckets for supplying a steam locomotive
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To jerkwater
jerk·wa·ter   (jûrk'wô'tər, -wŏt'ər)   
adj.   Informal

  1. Remote, small, and insignificant: a jerkwater town.

  2. Contemptibly trivial: jerkwater notions.


[From jerkwater, a branch-line train, so called because its small boiler had to be refilled often, requiring train crews to "jerk" or draw water from streams.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
jerkwater

  1. mod.
    rural; backwoodsy; insignificant. (See also one-horse town.) : I'm from a little jerkwater town in the Midwest.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see jerkwater on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way