jerk 1
— jerker , n. — jerkingly , adv.
/jerrk/ , n.
1. a quick, sharp pull, thrust, twist, throw, or the like; a sudden movement: The train started with a jerk.
2. a spasmodic, usually involuntary, muscular movement, as the reflex action of pulling the hand away from a flame.
3. any sudden, quick movement of the body, as in dodging something.
4. Slang. a contemptibly naive, fatuous, foolish, or inconsequential person.
5. (in weightlifting) the raising of a weight from shoulder height to above the head by straightening the arms.
6. jerks , Brit. Informal. See physical jerks .
7. a dance, deriving from the twist, in which the dancers alternately thrust out their pelvises and their shoulders.
8. the jerks , paroxysms or violent spasmodic muscular movements, as resulting from excitement evoked by some religious services.
v.t.
9. to pull, twist, move, thrust, or throw with a quick, suddenly arrested motion: She jerked the child by the hand.
10. to utter in a broken, spasmodic way.
11. Informal. to prepare, dispense, and serve (sodas, ice cream, etc.) at a soda fountain.
v.i.
12. to give a jerk or jerks.
13. to move with a quick, sharp motion; move spasmodically.
14. to talk in a broken, spasmodic way.
15. Informal. to work as a soda jerk.
16. to dance the jerk.
17. jerk off , Slang ( vulgar ). to masturbate.
[ 1540-50; 1935-40 for def. 4; perh. dial. var. of yerk to draw stitches tight (shoemaker's term), thus making the shoe ready to wear, OE gearcian to prepare, make ready ]
jerk 2
/jerrk/ , v.t.
1. to preserve (meat, esp. beef) by cutting in strips and curing by drying in the sun.
adj.
2. being or containing a spicy seasoning mixture flavored with allspice, used esp. in Jamaican cooking: jerk sauce.
3. prepared with jerk flavorings, esp. by barbecuing or grilling: jerk chicken.
[ 1700-10; back formation from JERKY 2 ]