cheap-jack

[ cheep-jak ]

/ ˈtʃipˌdʒæk /

noun

a peddler, especially of inferior articles.

adjective

of or suitable for a cheap-jack; cheap or inferior.

without scruples or principles; underhanded: using cheap-jack methods to evict tenants.

Nearby words

cheap, cheap at twice the price, cheap out, cheap shot, cheap skate, cheap-jack, cheapen, cheapie, cheapo, cheapside, cheapskate

Also cheap·jack, cheap-john

[cheep-jon] /ˈtʃipˌdʒɒn/.

Origin of cheap-jack

First recorded in 1850–55

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cheapjack

The rewards of the literary world—that is, the tangible, potable, spendable rewards—go mostly to the cheapjack and the mountebank.
Pipefuls|Christopher Morley
If Llanyglo's cheapjack in one way, perhaps it isn't in another.
Mushroom Town|Oliver Onions

British Dictionary definitions for cheapjack

cheap-jack

/ informal /

noun

a person who sells cheap and shoddy goods

adjective

shoddy or inferior

Word Origin for cheap-jack

C19: from cheap + Jack (name used to typify a person)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012