whiskey jack
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of whiskey jack
1735–45; variant of whisky-John, whisky-Jonish, by folk etymology < Eastmain Cree (dial. of Montagnais ) wi·skača·nis Canada jay, diminutive of wi·skača·n blacksmith, apparently alluding to the bird's smoky-gray color
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
George shot a foolhardy whiskey jack that ventured too near the camp, and it went into the pot with a grouse for breakfast.
From The Lure of the Labrador Wild by Wallace, Dillon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
