jackpot

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈd͡ʒækpɒt/^[1]

Etymology

It is a compound of jack in its card-playing sense and pot,^[2] referring to a poker pot that could be opened only by a player holding a pair of jacks or better.^[2][3] Random House calls it of uncertain origin.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In poker, the stakes accumulated in a game that requires a pair of jacks or better to open (1881).^[2][5][3]

Semantic evolution

Jackpots were introduced into poker around 1870, according to an encyclopedia quoted by Etymonline.^[2] The word passed to the top prize on a slot machine (1932)^[2][5] and then to any big prize (1944).^[2] To hit the jackpot, to be very successful, dates from 1938.^[2][4] Earlier, in criminal slang, it meant “trouble”, especially an arrest (1902);^[2] Merriam-Webster records a regional sense of “a tight spot”.^[5]

Timeline

• 1880–85 – Random House's dating.^[4]
• 1881 – the poker pot.^[2][5]
• 1902 – criminal slang, trouble, an arrest.^[2]
• 1932 – the slot-machine prize.^[2]
• 1938 – hit the jackpot.^[2]
• 1944 – any big prize.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The top prize in a game or contest, especially a large fund formed by unwon prizes, as in a lottery or on a slot machine.
2. (poker) The accumulated stakes in a game that requires a pair of jacks or better to open.
3. An impressive, often unexpected success or reward.
4. (chiefly Western US) A tight spot; a jam.

Related words

• jack
• pot
• jackknife

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
4. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster