Chapter Jews to Job and Elspat of J by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Jews to Job and Elspat

Jews sacrificing Christian children. (See Hugh of Lincoln, p. 510.)

Jews (The), in Dryden’s Absalom and Achitophel, means those English who were loyal to Charles II. called “David” in the satire (1681-2).

Jewels. For Persia, turquoises; for Africa, rubies; for India, amethysts; for England and France, diamonds.

Jewkes (Mrs.), a detestable character in Richardson’s Pamela (1740).

Jezebel (A Painted), a flaunting woman, of brazen face but loose morals. So called from Jezebel, the wife of Ahab king of Israel.

Jim, the boy of Reginald Lowestoffe the young Templar.—Sir W. Scott: Fortunes of Nigel (time, James I.).

Jim Crow, the name of a popular comic nigger song, brought out in 1836 at the Adelphi Theatre, and popularized by T. D. Rice. The burden of the song is—

Wheel about, and turn about, and do just so;
And every time you wheel about, jump Jim Crow.

Jin Vin, i,e. Jenkin Vincent, one of Ramsay’s apprentices, in love with Margaret Ramsay.—Sir W. Scott: Fortunes of Nigel (time, James I.).

Jingle (Alfred), a strolling actor, who, by his powers of amusing and sharpwittedness, imposes for a time on the members of the Pickwick Club, and is admitted to their intimacy; but being found to be an impostor, he is dropped by them. The generosity of Mr. Pickwick, in rescuing Jingle from the Fleet, reclaims him, and he quits England. Alfred Jingle talks most rapidly and flippantly, but not without much native shrewdness; and he knows a “hawk from a handsaw.” —Dickens: The Pickwick Papers (1836).

Jingo, a corruption of Jainko, the Basque Supreme Being. “By Jingo!” or “By the living Jingo!” is an appeal to deity. Edward I. had Basque mountaineers conveyed to England to take part in his Welsh wars, and the Plantagenets held the Basque provinces in possession. This Basque oath is a landmark of these facts.

Jingoes (The), the anti-Russians in the war between Russia and Turkey; hence the English war party. The term arose (1878) from M’Dermott’s War-song, beginning thus—

We don’t want to fight, but by Jingo if we do,
We’ve got the ships, we’ve got the men, We’ve got the money too.

(This song has also furnished the word jingoism (bragging war spirit, Bobadilism) and the adjective jingo.)

Jiniwin (Mrs.), a widow, the mother of Mrs. Quilp. A shrewd, ill-tempered old woman, who lived with her son-in-law in Tower Street.—Dickens: The Old Curiosity Shop (1840).

Jinker (Lieutenant Jamie), horse dealer at Doune.—Sir W. Scott: Waverley (time, George II.).

Jinn, plu. of Jinnee, a sort of fairy in Arabian mythology, the offspring of fire. The jinn propagate their species like human beings, and are governed by kings called suleymans. Their chief abode is the mountain Kâf, and they appear to men under the forms of serpents, dogs, cats, etc., which become invisible at pleasure. Evil jinn are hideously ugly, but good jinn are exquisitely beautiful. (See Ginn, p. 425.)

(Jinnistan means the country of the jinn. The connection of Solomon with the jinn is a mere blunder, arising from the similarity of suleyman and Solomon.)