WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
jack•leg
( jak′leg′),USA pronunciation [Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S.]
adj.
n.
adj.
- Dialect Termsunskilled or untrained for one's work;
amateur:a jackleg electrician. - Dialect Termsunscrupulous or without the accepted standards of one's profession:a jackleg lawyer.
- Dialect Termsmakeshift;
temporary.
n.
- Dialect Termsan unskilled or unscrupulous itinerant worker or practitioner.
- perh. jack1 + (black)leg 1840–50, American.
'jackleg' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):