Jack-phrases in the proverbs of English language

Proverbs belong to the traditional verbal folklore genres and the wisdom of proverbs has been guidance for people worldwide in their social interaction through the ages. Proverbs are concise, easy to remember and useful in every situation in life due to their content of everyday experiences. A proverb is a short, generally known sentence of the folk which contains wisdom, truth, morals, and traditional views in a metaphorical, fixed and memorable form and which is handed down from generation to generation. This definition may serve as basis to briefly explain the history, form and function of the proverb. First, proverbs are used from generation to generation; they are traditional. Many proverbs are old and have their origins in classical antiquity and medieval times¹. If it is true, as I'm sure it is, that the phrases in a language define a culture's interests and preoccupations then the English-speaking world must be fascinated by people. English phrases frequently include names. Some of these refer to actual individuals, for example, 'Gordon Bennett!' , 'Sweet Fanny Adams' and the numerous people referred to in Cockney rhyming slang, but more often than not the person referred to is imaginary.²

With any phrase that includes a name, it's natural to consider whether its the name of a real person. In this case, as was the case with many other literary Jacks - Jack the Lad, Jack Robinson, Jack Sprat, Jack Horner, Jack Frost, etc. Jack appears in more phrases than does any other name. That might be expected as Jack is a colloquial form of John and, for the period in which the majority of these phrases were coined, John was the most common boy's name among English speakers. Jack was the generic name for the common man; a lad, a fellow, a chap, but also with the hint of knave or likeable rogue . 'John' appears in our phrases and sayings hardly at all and this is probably because 'Jack' was considered the more interesting character. The use of 'Jack' with the meaning of 'young rogue' dates back to the 16th century and examples are known from Nicholas Udall and others in Middle English. An early example in a form of English that is easily accessible to us now is found in Shakespeare's Taming of

Shrew , circa 1616: A mad-cap ruffian and a swearing Jacke. Who was Jack? Was he an real person? No one knows. It may be that 'Jack' was taken as a suitable generic name when the expression was coined. Some well-known linguistic Jacks are for example:

- Jack the Lad - a self-assured young man who is a bit of a rogue. This is the archetypal Jack; young, roguish and male.

- Jack Tar - sailors coated their clothes and the ropes of their ships to make them weatherproof. They even smeared their hair and beards to avoid stray wisps getting caught in the rigging. What better name for sailors than Jack Tar?

- Jack of all trades - the common man, who will turn his hand to any form of work.

- Jack Robinson - in the phrase 'Before you can say Jack Robinson'. Possibly a rare example of a Jack that was a real person³.

Here are other examples of proverbial expressions, which includes the name Jack:

- Jack of all trades and master of none.

- Jackdaw in peacock`s feathers.

- Jack of both sides.

- All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Jack was the name given to many of the sprites, imps and supernatural creatures that were imagined to have human form, for example, Jack Frost (an imp that nips our ears and toes with cold), Jack o' lantern (a fairy that lives in hedges), Jack-in-irons (a malevolent giant).

The name Jack was also added to many utilitarian objects, which in some way took the place of a lad or man, for example:

- Smoke-jack (a roasting spit)

- Jack-plane (a basic carpenter's plane)

-  Jack-screw (a lifting winch)

-  Jack-frame (a carpenter's sawing horse)

- Boot-jack (for pulling off boots)

- Jack-engine (a miner's winch)

- Jack-file (a coarse file)

Jacks, being typically young and mischievous, feature strongly in nursery rhymes, for example, Little Jack Horner, Jack Sprat and Jack and Jill. Jack and Jill was used as the name of any young couple as early as the 1450s. A nursery rhyme. Its first stanza reads:

• -    Jack and Jill went up the hill, To fetch a pail of water;

• -    Jack fell down, and broke his crown, And Jill came tumbling after.

And we also use the name of this young couple (Jack and Jill) in many English proverbs:

• -   All shall be well.

Jack shall have Jill.

• -   Every Jack has his Jill.

• -    A good Jack makes a good Jill.

Coming originally from the Name ‘Jack’, a familiar from of the man’s name ‘John’ has the word ‘jack’ found his way in the ‘Oxford English Dictionary’ too and has several meanings4.

Of course, proverbs have their origins and it is very important to learn them . The names JACK and JILL are used in English proverbs in most cases. And their origins rest to the old sources. I've not listed every man Jack as there are so many -the OED includes over hundred of them. Time to jack it in I think.

Nothing defines a culture as distinctly as its language, and the element of language that best encapsulates a society's values and beliefs is its proverbs.

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"Экономика и социум" №11(66) 2019