Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also J/O) pertaining to masturbation.

c.1930		N. Kimball Amer. Madam (1981) 111: Read the so-called ‘dirty books,’ [...] All written by men. Pure jerk-off fantasy.
c.1957		N. Polsky ‘Reflections on Hip’ in Mailer Advertisements for Myself (1961) 310: They turn their backs on the grandeurs of the past, restrict their horizon to tripe jazz magazines and jerk-off magazines.
1961		(con. 1945) G. Forbes Goodbye to Some (1963) 76: He’s already got ten times the guts because he’s not all wrapped up in ball caps and jerk-off literature.
1989		Kirk & Madsen After The Ball 305: J/O games with nasty feet, pit sniffin’.
1990		(con. early 1950s) J. Ellroy L.A. Confidential 97: Jack groaned: the Great Jerk-off Book Caper of 1953.
1998		Bazarov A Rube’s Story 🌐 I was lookin’ at the jerk-off rags, like I do, sometimes.
2000		T. Blacker Kill Your Darlings 117: We did it all [...] the power games, the bathroom stuff, the jerk-off races.
2008		Simon & Price ‘Took’ Wire ser. 5 ep. 7 [TV script] Some sick motherfucker who used him for jerk-off purposes.

2. stupid, worthless, despicable.

1937		S.J. Perelman letter 11 Mar. in Crowther Don’t Tread on Me (1987) 11: Working away at that jerk-off musical and hating it more and more.
1949		E. Hemingway letter 11 Oct. in Baker Sel. Letters (1981) 680: I hope you will not get into the high jerk-off notch about that portable or potable Hemingway book.
1971		L. Bangs in Psychotic Reactions (1988) 59: The chromenose jerkoff college boy dating Franny.
1987		T. Wolfe Bonfire of the Vanities 362: This is just another jerk-off name on this fucking jerk-off list they handed us.
1998		(con. 1960s) G. Washington Blood Brothers 13: I seen my girl, Shilee, walk away arm in arm with that jerk-off-Johnny.
2012		C. Stella Rough Riders 18: This jerk-off president we have.
2017		D. Winslow The Force [ebook] Malone ain’t gonna be one of those jerk-off dads who screams at his kid from the stands.
2023		Twitter 16 Mar. 🌐 This Tory jerk off MP is continually trying to con voters that he’s Green Party, which he isn’t.
2024		J. Meades Empty Wigs (t/s) 536: We make handshake with positivity saying shut the door to jerk-off mentationalities.