Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. untrained, unprofessional, dishonest.

1839		Congressional Globe 19 Jan. Appendix 127/3: That party contains no jack-legged pettifogging lawyers [DA].
1853		‘Philip Paxton’ A Stray Yankee in Texas 284: You will hear of ‘jack-leg’ lawyers, ‘jack-leg’ preachers, and ‘jack-leg’ doctors.
1888		Florida Times Union 11 Feb. n.p.: It seems that the State Bar Association is disposed to draw the line between attornies and jack-leg lawyers [F&H].
1892		Congressional Record 27 May 4777/1: He goes away, and a jack-legged [army] officer could do nothing [DA].
1896		Courier (Lincoln, NE) 22 Feb. 2/1: He should be one of the first citizens of the state, and not a jackleg politician.
1900		A.H. Lewis Sandburrs 60: One of d’ city’s jackleg sawbones is there mendin’ Emmer wit bandages. But he says himself he’s on a dead card, an’ that Emmer’s going to die.
1904		W.N. Harben Georgians 69: [They] swallow every dose that’s give to ’em from any jack-leg preacher that comes along.
1908		Coconino Sun (AZ) 10 Apr. 6/2: ‘They call me a jackleg carpenter, sah.’ ‘What is a jackleg carpenter?’ ‘He is a carpenter who is not first class, sah’.
1913		Madison Jrnl (LA) 30 Aug. 3/2: Along in June [...] out comes what Elkins called our Nemmysis in the form of a jackleg lawyer.
1926		Wood & Goddard Dict. Amer. Sl. 25: jack-leg lawyer. A pettifogging lawyer; shyster.
1934		Afro-American (Baltimore, MD) 6 Oct. 7/6: A jack-leg evangelist beating up my chops over imaginary sins.
1942		‘Digg Mee’ ‘Observation Post’ in N.Y. Age 3 Jan. 9/6: What ‘jack-legged’ minister is playing what ‘pot-rassler’ on 5th st.
1943		R. Ottley New World 86: The cultists were augmented by a number of herb doctors, clairvoyants, and ‘jackleg’ preachers [DA].
1944		J.S. Pennell Hist. of Rome Hanks 39: The political brigadiers — most of them jackleg lawyers from the West.
1949		L. Hughes Tambourines to Glory I i: My grandpa was a jackleg preacher.
1955		PADS 23 35: The average white Southerner may use the term jackleg preacher freely as a gloss for such more local terms as chairbacker, stump-knocker, table-tapper, and yard-ax – designations for a part-time voluntary preacher, normally without formal seminary training and generally with a low degree of competence.
1957		D. Burley N.Y. Amsterdam News 24 Aug. 13: Three card monte experts, jackleg reverends [...] hair fryers and ex-convicts.
1969		B. Jackson Thief’s Primer 134: But as far as taking a jackleg lawyer, you don’t use them for anything but errand boys.
1971		R.D. Pharr S.R.O. (1998) 41: His movements were just like a jackleg minister’s; [...] there is a strong personality link between a pimp and an ignorant preacher.
1978		S. King Stand (1990) 84: A jackleg carpenter [...] could build better than that.
1980		J.L. Gwaltney Drylongso 22: They sent some Band-Aids and a jackleg doctor.
1992		D. Pinckney High Cotton (1993) 7: He was a cut above the usual jackleg Bible thumpers.
1994		N. McCall Makes Me Wanna Holler (1995) 202: Just to please some jackleg, wannabe preachers.
2000		C. Cook Robbers (2001) 4: Jackleg politicians seeking cool capitol cuties and dot-com commandoes.

2. thrown-together, makeshift.

1942		Daily Progress (Charlottesville VA) 26 Nov. 14/6: I wrte news, editorials, advertisments [...] repair presses and linotypes (jackleg repairing) [DARE].
1968		T. Wolfe Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1969) 14: Bob Dylan [...] raunching and rheuming in the old jack-legged chants.
1978		S. King Stand (1990) 307: The jackleg infirmary that had been set up over the town hall.
1983		N. Heard House of Slammers 1: The oil-soaked dirt gave a stench to the yard like a jackleg garage.
1987		T. Wolfe Bonfire of the Vanities 31: Now you’re getting an eyeful of a jack-legged walkup on the West Side!

3. (US black) bogus; not adhering to black people’s cultural standards.

1980

J.L. Gwaltney Drylongso xxiii: It is based upon assessments of that person’s fidelity to core black standards. The categories ‘real right’ and ‘jackleg’ cover the spectra of statuses.