cheap-jack
[ cheep-jak ]
/ ˈtʃipˌdʒæk /
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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.
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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. 2022
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 MorleyIf Llanyglo's cheapjack in one way, perhaps it isn't in another.
Mushroom Town|Oliver OnionsYet 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
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