Dictionary.com

cheap-jack

[ cheep-jak ]
/ ˈtʃipˌdʒæk /
Save This Word!
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.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.
His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT
Also cheapjack, 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. 2023

How to use cheap-jack in a sentence

  • 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

  • Yet honestly, half my fellows might easily serve as models to any literary cheapjack of the moment.

    The Altar Steps|Compton MacKenzie

British Dictionary definitions for cheap-jack

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
FEEDBACK