Dictionary.com

jerkwater

[ jurk-waw-ter, -wot-er ]
/ ˈdʒɜrkˌwɔ tər, -ˌwɒt ər /

adjective

Informal. insignificant and out-of-the-way: a jerkwater town.
(formerly) off the main line: a jerkwater train.

noun

(formerly) a train not running on the main line.

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ IF A DAZZLING VOCABULARY IS YOUR DESIDERATUM!

Have the Words of the Day from October 19–25, 2020, made an indelible mark on your memory? Take the quiz to find out!
Question 1 of 7
What does “clement” mean?
having or claiming to have the power of seeing objects or actions beyond the range of natural vision.
mild or merciful in disposition or character; lenient; compassionate.
favorite; cherished.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of jerkwater

1875–80, Americanism;jerk1 + water; so called from the jerking (i.e., drawing) of water to fill buckets for supplying a steam locomotive

Words nearby jerkwater

jerk, jerk around, jerkin, jerkinhead, jerk-off, jerkwater, jerky, jerky nystagmus, Jerne, Jeroboam, Jerold
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for jerkwater

  • He's never been out of a jerkwater burg in his life, hardly.

    Free Air|Sinclair Lewis

  • He'd make more dough if he owned the local garage and dealer franchise for one of the automobile companies in some jerkwater town.

    The Common Man|Guy McCord (AKA Dallas McCord Reynolds)

  • They came from Chicago and jerkwater towns in Nebraska, from farms and steel mills, from the stage and the pulpit.

    Land of the Burnt Thigh|Edith Eudora Kohl

British Dictionary definitions for jerkwater

jerkwater
/ (ˈdʒɜːkˌwɔːtə) /

adjective

US and Canadian slang inferior and insignificanta jerkwater town

Word Origin for jerkwater

C19: originally referring to railway locomotives for which water was taken on in buckets from streams along the route
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