jerry

See also: Jerry

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdʒɛɹi/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Etymology 1

Probably an abbreviation of jeroboam.

Noun

jerry (plural jerries)

1. (UK, Ireland, slang) A chamber pot.
   • 1976, Angela Carter, “The Mother Lode”, in Shaking a Leg, Vintage, published 2013, page 3:

     We used chamber-pots a good deal – ‘jerries’ – cause of much hilarity doe to the hostilities.

Synonyms

• (chamber pot) See Thesaurus:chamber pot

Etymology 2

Short for jerry-built.

Adjective

jerry (not comparable)

1. (dated) Jerry-built.
   • 1889, Alfred Thomas Story, A book of vagrom men and vagrant thoughts, page 57:

     If a man builds a jerry-house, he has a jerry conscience; and there are a lot of consciences of that description going about.

Etymology 3

Alternative forms.

Noun

jerry (plural jerries)

1. (ethnic slur) Alternative letter-case form of Jerry: a German.

Synonyms

• (a German) See German

See also

possibly etymologically related

• jerry-build
• jerry-builder
• jerry-building
• jerry built
• jerry-can
• jerry can
• jerry curl
• jerry-rig
• jerry-rigged
• jerry-shop
• jerry to