jack-in-the-box
or jack-in-a-box
[jak-in-th uh-boks]
- a toy consisting of a box from which an enclosed figure springs up when the lid is opened.
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Origin of jack-in-the-box
First recorded in 1545–55
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for jack-in-the-box
Contemporary Examples
The jack-in-the-box has popped, just as we expected it to, but it still made us gasp.
Historical Examples
The man obeyed, with the suddenness of a jack-in-the-box, and stood as if petrified.
The Heart of Thunder MountainEdfrid A. Bingham
People expressed their commiseration for a woman married to that Jack-in-the-box.
Amy FosterJoseph Conrad
Hasn't he brought you a pincushion or a jack-in-the-box, Lady Raikes?
The removal of the burden was almost like unsnapping the cover of a Jack-in-the-box.
Elsie Marley, HoneyJoslyn Gray
My man on the bed popped with the agility of a jack-in-the-box for the window.
Desert DustEdwin L. Sabin
jack-in-the-box
- a toy consisting of a figure on a compressed spring in a box, which springs out when the lid is opened
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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
Word Origin and History for jack-in-the-box
n.
1560s, originally a name for a sharp or cheat, "who deceived tradesmen by substituting empty boxes for others full of money" [Robert Nares, "A Glossary of Words, Phrases, Names, and Allusions," London, 1905]. As a type of toy, it is attested from 1702.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper