Jack the lad

English

Etymology

Named after English thief, shoplifter, burglar, highwayman and gaol-breaker Jack Sheppard (1702–1724). [1]

Pronunciation

  • Audio (General Australian):(file)

Noun

Jack the lad

  1. (British, slang) An irresponsible young man, seeking personal pleasure and gratification without any regard to responsibilities. A rogue.
    You seem to think you’re a bit of a Jack the lad, don’t you?

Translations

References

  1. ^ Martin, Gary (8 October 2010) “Jack the lad”, in Phrase Finder‎[1], archived from the original on 6 July 2024: “The earliest use of the expression came in an 1840 song Jack's the Lad, with such descriptive lines as: "If ever fellow took delight in swigging, gigging, / kissing, drinking, fighting / Damme, I'll be bold to say that Jack's the lad."”
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