jump on v.
1. to attack, verbally or physically, someone who is seen to have exposed themselves to such an assault by their behaviour or their weakness.
Dead Sea Fruit v: When a wretched scribbler was, in vulgar phraseology, to be jumped upon, honest Daniel put on his hobnail boots and went at the savage operation with a will [F&H]. | ||
Lantern (N.O.) 1 Oct. 2: The idea of two big chaps jumping on one man. | ||
Dagonet Ditties 77: Do not flog the brutal rough / Who jumps upon his wife. | ‘A Plea for Mercy’||
No. 5 John Street 91: ‘Oh, go on jumpin’ on me,’ returns Low Covey. | ||
World of Graft 84: There is probably a fair amount of crookedness in the Police Department, who is to be jumped on before such conditions can be changed? | ||
Gold Bat [ebook] ‘It’s no good your jumping on me [...] I’ve done nothing’. | ||
(con. 1920s) Elmer Gantry 391: I’ll jump on the police for not having pinched these places. | ||
Home to Harlem 47: They done jumped on me soon as I turned mah black moon on that li’l saloon. | ||
Dark Hazard (1934) 154: She jumped on him for gambling and being irresponsible. | ||
Bound for Glory (1969) 178: They quit jumping on me for two reasons: I’d beat the hound out of them, and the others wanted to ride on that motorcycle. | ||
Vice Lords 26: ‘[T]he 15th Street Lords [...] ain’t got no business jumping on no one over there, and they ain’t got no business coming over to our hood and jumping on somebody’. | ||
(con. 1950s) Whoreson 98: I didn’t want to jump on her. | ||
Grease 97: Why you guys jumping on my number today? Just cause I laid it out on Sandy, don’t mean you got to get on me. | ||
Central Sl. 32: jumped-on [...] An aggressive roughing up. | ||
Forensic Linguistic Databank 🌐 Jump on - surprise attack. | (ed.) ‘Drill Slang Glossary’ at
2. see step on v.