jerry

[jer-ee] Origin

jer·ry

1[jer-ee]
adjective Building Trades Slang.
of inferior materials or workmanship.

Origin:
1875–80; short for jerry-built

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Jerry is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

jer·ry

2[jer-ee]
noun, plural jer·ries. Chiefly British Slang.
a chamber pot.

Origin:
1820–30; short for jeroboam

Jer·ry

[jer-ee]
noun, plural Jer·ries. Chiefly British Informal.
1.
a German.
2.
Germans collectively.

Origin:
1910–15; Ger(man) + -y1

Jer·ry

[jer-ee]
noun
1.
a male given name, form of Gerald, Gerard, Jeremiah, and Jerome.
2.
a female given name, form of Geraldine.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
jerry (ˈdʒɛrɪ)
 
n , pl -ries
1.  (Brit) an informal word for chamber pot
2.  short for jeroboam

Jerry (ˈdʒɛrɪ)
 
n , pl -ries
1.  a German, esp a German soldier
2.  the Germans collectively: Jerry didn't send his bombers out last night

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

Jerry
World War I British Army slang for "German," 1919, probably an alteration of 'German, but also said to be from the shape of the Ger. helmet, which was like a jerry, British slang for "chamber pot" (1827), probably an abbreviation of jeroboam. Hence jerry-can "5-gallon
EXPAND
metal container" (1943), a type first used by German troops in World War II, later adopted by the Allies.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Abbreviations & Acronyms
jerry
geriatric
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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