Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a homosexual with no other sexual interests.

1941		G. Legman ‘Lang. of Homosexuality’ Appendix VII in Henry Sex Variants.
1965		Guild Dict. Homosexual Terms 25: jam fag (n.): A completely, overtly homosexual male. (Rare.).
1965		K. Worthy Homosexual Generation Ch. xvi: Jam fags: Brilliant male homosexuals.
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 117: jam fag (obs, ’40s) 1. the bona-fide homosexual 2. an intelligent homosexual.
1989		J. Morton Lowspeak.

a tampon, a sanitary towel.

1980		Maledicta IV:2 (Winter) 182: Most of these ‘functional’ terms are less succinct than the ‘hole’ terms and the last occurs also in the use of gentleman’s pleasure garden padlock for an S.T. (= sanitary towel) which is also known as a manhole cover or jamrag.
1989		J. Morton Lowspeak.
1993		I. Welsh Trainspotting 88: Lizzy [...] finished second tae the lanky strides ay big Morag ‘Jam Rag’ Henderson.
1996		R. Doyle Woman Who Walked Into Doors 80: If you do that for me, I said, – she’ll go to the shops and get me my jam-rags for me.
2000		M. Manning Get Your Cock Out 38: The saddened Mincey lovingly fingered the soiled jamrag in his leather pants pocket.
2018		K. Lister in amuse-i-d.vice.com 25 Oct. 🌐 And when it comes to menstrual taboos, a coyly worded sign above the jam-rag aisle in Tesco is really the least of it.

(US gay) to lick the anus.

1941		G. Legman ‘Lang. of Homosexuality’ Appendix VII in Henry Sex Variants.
1965		Guild Dict. Homosexual Terms 14: eat jam (v.): To perform anilinctus.
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 172: to lick or suck anus [...] eat jam (’40s).
2000		C. Cook Robbers (2001) 53: I had me a swish in Huntsville [...] He could blow some tunes [...] Liked to eat jam too, but I didn’t go for that.

(US black) to have sexual intercourse.

1980

E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 153: The male sex organ itself is seen as a tool for penetrating women: to dip the fly, to poke, to give her the jam pot.

to ejaculate.

2000

M. Manning Get Your Cock Out 149: It was only seconds ago that he’d jammed off on the pretty chambermaid.

1. to put on airs.

1881		Bulletin (Sydney) 19 Mar. 8/4: Mrs. Alphonso looked out, and said: ‘Puts on jam, don’t she, Doodie? An’, after all, it’s only a ninepenny pompadour skirt’.
1881		Bulletin (Sydney) 26 Mar. 4/4: Laying on the jam like this is positively in-Dease-ent.
1885		Observer and Freelance (Wellington) 5 Sept. 4/3: Oh, didn’t he put on jam with them!
1892		‘Fanny Flukem’s Ball’ in Bird o’ Freedom (Sydney) in J. Murray Larrikins (1973) 40: I’m a cut above such jigs as that; / For spare me days, I am, / But it narks a bloomin’ girl to see / Such trollops put on jam.
1900–10		Stephens & O’Brien Materials for a Dict. of Aus. Sl. [unpub. ms.] 89: JAM: style, affection [sic], to put on jam; to put on side.
1901		‘Miles Franklin’ My Brilliant Career 219: Ladies and gentlemen [...] who paid one every attention without a bit of fear of being twitted with ‘laying the jam on’.
1911		Truth (Sydney) 8 Jan. 12/4: Why, good gracious, she’s a lady! / See the jam she do put on.
1951		D. Stivens Jimmy Brockett 30: Sadie put a bit of jam on when she talked, but not too much.

2. to flatter.

1900		Bulletin (Sydney) 23 Jun. 20/2: [T]hose in high military places in Africa have received ‘the office’ from Chamberlain and Co. to crack up the Australians. The jam is being laid on thick and slab.
1910		Bulletin (Sydney) 22 Sept. 11/1: At the winding-up meeting of the committee, the other day, jam was laid thick on the plate of the Mayoral Wilfords, and it was decided to name the two wards in the new hospital ‘Georgia’ (Mrs. Wilford’s front name) and ‘Wilford.’.

of objects or people, the best, the superlative.

1836		T. Haliburton Clockmaker I 213: It’s a fine thing to write a book all covered over with Latin and Greek and Hebrew, like a bridle that’s real jam, all spangled with brass nails, but who knows whether it’s right or wrong?
1865		Sporting Gaz. (London) 8 Apr. 4/3: Real jam — A good thing.
1873		Sl. Dict. 268: Real jam a sporting phrase, meaning anything exceptionally good. It is said to be real jam for those who back a horse at a long price, when the animal wins, or comes to a short figure.
1879		‘’Arry at the Gaiety’ in Punch 5 July 309/1: Alfongs says when we two go to Parry / He’ll show me the Real French Jam.
1884		‘Experiences of a Cunt Philosopher’ in Randiana 10: [cap. heading] I Ascertain the Meaning of ‘Real Jam’.
1887		Bulletin (Sydney) 15 Oct. 6/4: Let us have Australian peers by all means. It would be real jam to warn them off the turf for life, à la Ailesbury, doncher know.
1890		Music Hall & Theatre Rev. 24 May 6/1: The Canterbury [Music Hall] holiday programme is, indeed, ‘real jam’.
1891		Bird o’ Freedom (Sydney) 21 Mar. 3/2: The race lies between us and the favorite, and with Downey up she’s safe enough. It’s real jam this time.
1900		Princeton Union (MN) 22 Nov. 7/1: She as a snorter, too, real jam, and no mistake, a lady.
1903		Truth (London) 18 June 1678/3: Slang terms: [...] quality, rattling, real-jam, ripping [etc] .
1916		H.L. Wilson Somewhere in Red Gap 88: On the level, ain’t he the real Peruvian doughnuts?

see separate entry.

a police car.

1980		The Specials ‘Stereotype’ 🎵 A jam sandwich with flashing blue lights.
1992		D. Burke Street Talk 2 79: Jam Butty – police car.
2004		N. ‘Razor’ Smith A Few Kind Words and a Loaded Gun 98: Through the leaves I saw a jam-sandwich cruise slowly and sneakily up the street.

(Irish) wishful thinking.

2001

G. Coughlan Everyday Eng. and Sl. 🌐 Jam on your egg (n): wishful thinking; will never happen.

(Aus. tramp) the lowest rank of itinerant, eating/cooking out of jam-tins.

1931

Dly Mercury (Mackay, Qld) 22 June 11/4: Train jumping to-day is common, and the old sundowner, with his quart, two-quart, and four-quart billies, is scarcely ever worried by the ‘jam-tin brigade’.