Jack Robinson (mythical person)

Jack Robinson (mythical person)

Jack Robinson is a fictional person used to indicate a period of time, typically in a sarcastic manner. The normal usage is, "(something is done) faster than you can say Jack Robinson" or otherwise "… before you can say Jack Robinson."

Etymology

Several possible explanations are cited:

* Supposedly, an English gentleman of the early 1800s named Jack Robinson was a person who changed his mind often, hence a person had to be quick to catch him in a decision.
* Supposedly, in France in the 1800s, an umbrella was known as a Robinson, and when a gentleman needed his umbrella he would call for his servant (inevitably known as Jacques), hence, "Jacques, Robinson!"
* Between 1660 and 1679 the Officer Commanding the Tower of London was one Sir John Robinson. It may be that the speed of beheading with an axe, something regularly done in the Tower at that time, may be the basis, Jack being a well known form of John.
* Another version is that Sir John (Jack) Robinson, the Constable of the Tower of London, held at the same time a judiciary appointment in the nearby City of London, and could and did condemn a felon in the City, then have him transported to the Tower where he commanded the execution, the whole process being done 'faster than you can say Jack Robinson'.
* John Robinson (1727-1802) was Joint Secretary to the Treasury from 1770 to 1782 and regularly acted as a Government Whip, responsible for organising elections and political patronage; of his reputation for political fixing, Nathaniel Wraxall wrote that "No man in the House knew so much of its original composition, the means by which every individual attained his seat, and, in many instances, how far and through what channels he might prove accessible". Therefore fixing something "faster than you can say 'Jack Robinson'" was very fast indeed.

Citations

Literature

*"The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue", originally by Francis Grose. [http://www.fromoldbooks.org/Grose-VulgarTongue/j/jack-robinson.html]
*"", by C. S. Lewis, Chapter 7.
*"Mere Christianity", by C. S. Lewis, Chapter 1.
*"Timequake", by Kurt Vonnegut, Chapter 8.
*"Good Omens", by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, p. 48.
*"Walden", by Henry David Thoreau, Chapter 15.
*"It", by Stephen King, p. 35.
*"Nicholas Nickleby (novel)", by Charles Dickens, Chapter 46.
*"A Christmas Carol" (play)", by Charles Dickens, Stave II.
*"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (novel)", by Mark Twain, Chapter III pg. 13
*"The Enchanted Castle" (novel)", by Edith Nesbit, Chapter 1.
*"Just So Stories" (stories for little children)", by Rudyard Kipling, The Elephant's Child.
*"Bud, not Buddy" by Christopher Paul Curtis
*"Passing" (novel), by Nella Larsen, p. 114.
*"Pride" (novel) by William Wharton, Chapter 11.

The Arts

*In Sam Shepard's 1967 play, "Forensic & the Navigators" the expression occurs late in the play. It is said by the 2nd Exterminator, before an impending gassing of the bunker.

Movies

*"Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang" — early in the movie, said by the main character Harry Lockhart (played by Robert Downey Jr.)
*"Slap Shot" — said late in the movie, by Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman), in regards to a boy's sexuality
* "" — given as an example of the litany of "time"-related phrases in use in the English language
*"Sharpe's Revenge" — said by Lady Molly Spindacre (Connie Hyde)
*"Our Relations" - said by Stan Laurel

Online Literature

*"Bastard Operator From Hell", by Simon Travaglia, Episode 36, 2006


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Jack Robinson — People with the name Jack Robinson or its variant forms include:Person*Jack Robinson (footballer) (1870 1931), England, Derby County and Southampton football goalkeeper *Jackie Robinson (footballer) (1917 1972), Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland …   Wikipedia

  • Meanings of minor planet names: 4501–5000 — As minor planet discoveries are confirmed, they are given a permanent number by the IAU s Minor Planet Center, and the discoverers can then submit names for them, following the IAU s naming conventions. The list below concerns those minor planets …   Wikipedia

  • Meanings of minor planet names: 4001–4500 — As minor planet discoveries are confirmed, they are given a permanent number by the IAU s Minor Planet Center, and the discoverers can then submit names for them, following the IAU s naming conventions. The list below concerns those minor planets …   Wikipedia

  • literature — /lit euhr euh cheuhr, choor , li treuh /, n. 1. writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays. 2.… …   Universalium

  • performing arts — arts or skills that require public performance, as acting, singing, or dancing. [1945 50] * * * ▪ 2009 Introduction Music Classical.       The last vestiges of the Cold War seemed to thaw for a moment on Feb. 26, 2008, when the unfamiliar strains …   Universalium

  • Jesus — This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. For other uses, see Jesus (disambiguation). Jesus …   Wikipedia

  • religion — religionless, adj. /ri lij euhn/, n. 1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and… …   Universalium

  • baseball — /bays bawl /, n. 1. a game of ball between two nine player teams played usually for nine innings on a field that has as a focal point a diamond shaped infield with a home plate and three other bases, 90 ft. (27 m) apart, forming a circuit that… …   Universalium

  • List of fictional countries — is a list of fictional countries from published works of fiction (books, films, television series, etc.). Fictional works describe all the countries in the following list as located somewhere on the surface of the Earth as we know it mdash; as… …   Wikipedia

  • English literature — Introduction       the body of written works produced in the English language by inhabitants of the British Isles (including Ireland) from the 7th century to the present day. The major literatures written in English outside the British Isles are… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”