jerk
jerk Lexical Profile
jerk Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A contemptibly obnoxious, rude, selfish, or foolish person (informal).
"He apologized for acting like a jerk during the heated argument."
A quick, sharp, sudden movement, pull, or twist.
"The old train started forward with a sudden jerk that nearly knocked the passengers off their feet."
A spicy Jamaican style of cooking in which meat or poultry is seasoned with a fiery dry rub or wet marinade containing allspice and Scotch bonnet peppers before being slow-cooked or grilled.
"The restaurant is famous for its authentic Jamaican jerk and fried plantains."
In physics, the rate of change of acceleration with respect to time.
"Engineers design roller coasters carefully to minimize excessive jerk on the riders' bodies."
• verb
To move, pull, thrust, or twist suddenly and sharply.
"She jerked her hand back from the hot stove before it could burn her."
To cure or preserve meat by cutting it into long strips and drying it in the sun or over a fire, or to season and grill meat in the spicy Jamaican style.
"The island chefs jerked the chicken over fragrant pimento wood for several hours."
• Rhymes for jerk
Word Origin & Etymology
The physical sense of a sudden motion dates to the 16th century, likely of imitative origin. The culinary sense (and 'jerky') comes via Spanish 'charqui' from Quechua 'ch'arki', meaning dried, salted meat.