Jack speak (Jackspeak)
noun phrase

- British naval slang

Wiktionary

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PHRASE ORIGIN

The origins of "Jack speak" are deeply rooted in naval tradition and history of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom.

Sailors developed their own language over centuries of seafaring, drawing from various sources, including foreign words, technical jargon, and humour.

This language allowed sailors to communicate efficiently and often served to create a sense of camaraderie among the crew.

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THE JOY OF JACK SPEAK

There are over 4,000 of Jack speak phrases in English and their etymology is fascinating — here are 4 examples:

- Slush Fund

A budget for special purposes. Cooks on board a ship would collect the fat – or ‘slush’ – that would drop off meat as it was being cooked. This by-product would be sold to candle makers back on shore, and the money raised – or the ‘slush fund’ – was often used to buy non-essential items for the crew, such as musical instruments or books. People started using the phrase to describe money that was kept secret, often to be used for illegal dealings like political bribery, but it can also mean any extra pots of money such as emergency funds or savings.

- Square Meal

A substantial meal. This expression comes from the time when sailors ate their food off square wooden plates with a raised edge called a fiddle. This design was to stop food falling off the plate and to set a limit on the amount of food taken. If a seaman overfilled the plate he was said to be ‘on the fiddle’ and he could be punished”

- Piping Hot

Eat your food before it gets cold. This expression had its origins in the way food was collected from the ship’s galley for the mess after a ‘pipe’ was sounded. The sooner food was collected after the sound of the ‘pipe’ the hotter it was.

- Dutch Courage

Alcohol reduces fear and increases aggression. This term came into use during the 17th century during the Anglo-Dutch Wars. It was said that the crew of Dutch warships were so cowardly that they needed a glass of schnapps before they would sail out and fight the Royal Navy, which by the way, given the level of the Dutch attacks on English ports was simply not true!

For a complete list, check out “Jackspeak: A Guide to British Naval Slang and Usage” published by Maritime Books

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SYNONYMS

argot, cant, corporate lingo, counterculture slang, criminal slang, dialect, double-talk, echo chamber, exclusionary language, figurative language, figure of speech, generation Z slang, insider speech, internet slang, jabber, jargon, JACK SPEAK,  lingo, malapropism, manner of speaking, mumbo jumbo, parlance, patois, set phrases, slanguage, slang, social media lingo, subcultural cant, terminology, tongue, vernacular, wordstock, youth patois
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