Jerkwater
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ˈd͡ʒɚk.wɔ.tɚ/ · Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Jerkwater is a noun meaning (US, historical) A train on a branch line.
Meaning
(US, historical) A train on a branch line.
More Meanings
- A jerkwater town.
- (US, colloquial, derogatory) Of an inhabited place, small, insignificant, and backward.
Example Sentences
[…] by bailing from near streams with buckets, (the brake-man called this operation jerking water) and from this the road gets its name of jerkwater road.
Twenty-five miles down the narrow arid highway, there is another town like Napoleon, a little smaller. And then twenty-five miles further, another. This chain of jerkwaters stretches for a lazy afternoon, until you finally encounter a cluster of people that almost resembles a modern civilization, with a movie theater and chain restaurants.
Word Forms
- jerkwaters
Synonyms for jerkwater
Depending on context, synonyms include provincial, pokey, poky, one-horse.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include one-horse, pokey, poky, provincial, jerk-water, kettle.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.