Jack

The Union Jack is the flag of Britain. A Jack is a flag flown at the bow of a ship and raised when the first line is taken ashore as the ship returns from sea. The other flag, flown at the stern is the national flag and is called an ensign. A jack can refer to a sailor who navigates a ship. A jack of all trades is a man who has skills across a wide range, like a versatile handyman. To jack something is to steal it

When a person is jacking around they are being silly and jumping. When referring to a jack we are talking about a boy in the generic sense. Most automobiles have a jack in the trunk. It is a device used to lift the car/truck so that a flat tire can be removed for repair and to hold things up like that until the replacement tire is back on. Many jacks can, together, lift a house

There is something called a jack up oil rig that has three tower jacks to set the height of the rig machinery above the ocean. The jack posts are over 100 feet tall with teeth to connect to the gears that turn to raise or lower the machinery deck. These things are massive. A railroad jack is used to lift and adjust the level of railroad bridges. The jack post is many inches across and the teeth close together so some precision in setting the height is possible

Jack is a form of the name John. Think John F Kennedy who was known to close friends as Jack. Other well known Jack’s include Jack Frost and the jack O lantern. A jack hammer is a medium sized but quite heavy machine used to break up asphalt and concrete. The jack is the lowest ranking of face cards in a deck of playing cards. Jacks, sometimes spelled jaxx, is a children’s game. Jack is the name of a northern pike fish

A phone jack is the point of connection between a phone and the wires in the wall. A boot jack is a device for removing tight boots, kind of like a reverse shoe horn. Jack is also an archaic measure for liquids equalling one quarter of a cup. So, we find that indeed the word jack is a jack of all trades. It can jack your smile by its versatility.