Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (orig. US) joint masturbation, often in competition, by a group of boys, poss. sitting in a circle.

1959		H. Salisbury Shook-Up Generation (1961) 29: The ‘circle jerk,’ or mass masturbation, is a common sex activity.
1960		in E. Cray Erotic Muse (1992) 97: The elders of the church, / They were too old to firk, / So they sat around the table / And had a circle jerk.
1970		(con. 1950s) H. Junker ‘The Fifties’ in Eisen Age of Rock 2 (1970) 103: In other words, circle jerk, pocket pool, home and away. (Gang bang.).
1974		(con. 1960s) R. Price Wanderers 105: Ever since the guys had a circle-jerk at Gennaro’s house three years ago.
1981		Spears Sl. and Euphemism 73: ring-jerk real or imagined MUTUAL MASTURBATION (qv) in a circle. It may involve males and females or males and males.
1990		S. Morgan Homeboy 74: Ronald Reagan ran down the aisle crying, ‘What is this, a circle jerk?’.
1997–2002		Alt. Eng. Dict. 🌐 circle jerk (compound noun, count) An event where a group of males stand facing each other in a circle, each one masturbating. Not used in the straight community much except by young adolescents who are first experiencing the joys of sex.
2005		E. White My Lives 146: Other boys [...] were willing partners in erotic wrestling and circle jerks.
2016		T. Robinson Rough Trade [ebook] ‘Did I interrupt a circle jerk or something?’.

2. attrib. use of sense 1.

1949		joke cited in G. Legman Rationale of the Dirty Joke (1972) I 92: A club of boys are playing ‘ring-jerk poker.’ Each boy puts in a dime and the one who finished masturbating first wins the pot.
1978		R. Price Ladies’ Man (1985) 135: I was on the lam, laying low from reality [...] Like if the two pussies from the circle jerk place were reality cops and they were stalking Broadway and Seventh Avenue looking for me.
1987		(con. 1967) E. Spencer Welcome to Vietnam (1989) 119: He comes up [...] with this big shit-eating grin on his face like he’s just won some circle-jerk contest.

3. (US) in fig. use, chaos, a mess.

1967		J. Flaherty Chez Joey (1974) xxii: Publishers: ‘Please submit through an agent.’ Agents: ‘We handle only published writers.’ In the classic Mailer canon, a circle jerk.
1983		N. Proffitt Gardens of Stone (1985) 57: Top company in this here circle jerk gets free beer in the mess hall every Sunday for a month.
2010		(con. 1973) C. Stella Johnny Porno 17: ‘My understanding of task force is a joint operation.’ ‘It’s a joint circle jerk is what it is’.
2010		L. Redhead Thrill City [ebook] It had to be a regular mine’s-bigger-than-yours circle-jerk out at the shed. With any luck they’d all shoot each other.

4. (Can.) in fig. use of sense 1, men who harass prostitutes and their customers for fun.

1997

A. Highcrest At Home on the Stroll 73: ‘Circle jerks’ and gawkers who drive around the strolls watching what goes on, often taunting and teasing anyone on the street. Circle jerks are not out to shop, they are out to raise hell.

5. (orig. US) in fig. use of sense 1, a pointless or inconclusive discussion by a number of people.

1978		S. King Stand 540: Public meeting? Public circle jerk.
2000		C. Cook Robbers (2001) 11: Governor calls the colonel, he calls the captain, captain calls lieutenant, he calls me. Regular circle jerk.