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<div>When I was a kid and worked in my parents' paint and wallpaper
store, a 'jackleg painter' was a combination of several of the
following facts:</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>1) non-union</div>
<div>2) self-taught</div>
<div>3) unreliable (often suffering from painters' colic, although
respected<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab></div>
<div><x-tab>
</x-tab>professionals also suggered from this malady)</div>
<div>4) not full-time</div>
<div>5) not skilled (i.e., producing shoddy work, not just failing to
appear, failing</div>
<div><x-tab> </x-tab>to pay
workers or bills, as is suggested in 3))</div>
<div>6) worked for less (obviously connected to 1))</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>In short, it was a "general negative," and any one of
these features might have been highlighted in a single instantiation.
It would be difficult to say which were the required and which were
the optional features for the semantics of it.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>dInIs</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>PS: Before you ask, "painters' colic" is the need for
strong drink after work to cut the paint fumes from your throat. A
better excuse than many; at least it fronted a physical rather than
psychological need.</div>
<div><br></div>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial" size="-1">Thank all of
you for the input on jackleg/jakeleg/jake brakes:<br>
the usual mixture of erudition, wisecracks, informed specu-<br>
lation, and inimitable "other" that I so love about this
list and<br>
its contributors.<br>
<br>
Have at least some good general possibilities in mind now<br>
for the derivation of "jackleg" and
"jakeleg"...and the latter's<br>
merely fortuitous (though Jacobs Manufacturing Company<br>
might consider it otherwise) connection to "jake brake."<br>
<br>
Wondering now what are the parameters for "jackleg" ?
As<br>
Jonathan Green mentioned, it seems usually applied to
"various<br>
incompetent, unskilled or unprincipled
professionals"...preachers,<br>
lawyers, and I believe I've heard doctors so termed. Can't
recall<br>
an instance of<u> other</u> professions...pharmacists, librarians,
etc...<br>
it might be applied to, however.<br>
<br>
On the other hand, "jackleg (car-)mechanic" is well
recognized;<br>
and again, believe I've heard it of plumbers. So a jackleg
(my<br>
father's use was that non-specific) can also be blue-collar, I
pre-<br>
sume ?<br>
<br>
Finally, Is there included a sense of "self-proclaimed" or
"self-taught;"<br>
and in the latter case, might a jackleg mechanic (for example) be<br>
fully as competent, skilled and principled as Mr. Goodwrench ?<br>
<br>
<br>
<span
></span
> <span
></span
> <span
></span
> <span
></span
> <span
></span
> <span
></span> Steve Hicks<br>
<span
></span
> <span
></span
> <span
></span
> <span
></span
> <span
></span
> <span
></span> Hicks
Information</font></blockquote>
<div><br></div>
<div>-- <br>
Dennis R. Preston<br>
Department of Linguistics and Languages<br>
Michigan State University<br>
East Lansing MI 48824-1027 USA<br>
preston@pilot.msu.edu<br>
Office: (517)353-0740<br>
Fax: (517)432-2736</div>
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