[Familiar variant of the proper name Jeremy or Jeremiah (in Ireland treated as equivalent to Diarmaid). Variously applied; mostly in slang or vulgar speech.]
1. A machine for shearing cloth.
1883. Almondbury & Huddersfield Gloss., Jerry, the common name of a machine for finishing cloth, by which all the rough portions are removed.
1885. Taylor’s Patent No. 2784. (title), Jerrys or machines for shearing fabrics.
2. Printers’ slang. The noise made by beating chases, etc., on an apprentice finishing his time, or on other occasions.
1888. Jacobi, Printers’ Vocab., 68.
1894. D. C. Murray, in My First Bk., 196. The compositors performed what they called a ‘jerry’ in the blunderer’s honour.
3. Short for jerry-shop (a contraction, it is said, of Tom-and-Jerry-shop, from the cant name of a mixture of liquors): A low beer-house.
1851–61. Mayhew, Lond. Labour, II. 255 (Farmer). An advance of 5/. made to him by the keeper of a beer-shop, or, as he called it, a jerry.
1873. Slang Dict., Jerry shop, a beer-house. Contraction of ‘Tom and Jerry.’
1858. Carlyle, Lett., in Froude, Life in Lond. (1884), II. xxiv. 223 (Cent.). A worse than jerry-shop close over the way raged like Bedlam or Erebus.
4. Short for jerry hat: A round felt hat.
1841. Punch, I. 98/2. Those unassuming castors designated ‘Jerrys.’
1851. Illustr. Catal. Gt. Exhib., 275. Showing the manufacture of felt caps or jerries … Finished felt cap or jerry.
1865. Sat. Rev., 4 Feb., 146/1. Large light whiskers, a jerry hat, and green cutaway coat.
5. Short for JERRY-BUILDER.
1890. in Cent. Dict.
6. Comb. Jerry-come-tumble, Jerry-go-nimble, a tumbler, an antic, a performer (equestrian or other); also transf.; Jerrycummumble, Jerrymumble vbs. trans., to shake or tumble about; Jerry-sneak, a mean sneaking fellow, a hen-pecked husband. See also JERRY-BUILDER, etc.
1823. Scott, Quentin D., xiv. I [a hangman] never quarrel with my customers—my *jerry-come-tumbles, my merry dancers.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulg. Tongue, *Jerrycummumble, to shake, towzle, or tumble about.
1876. T. Hardy, Far fr. Madding Crowd, viii. They took me … into a large *jerry-go-nimble show, where there were women-folk riding round.
1721. Cibber, Rival Fool, III. I’gad I’ll fetch one then, shall *jerrymumble you.
1764. Foote, Mayor of G. (Dram. Pers.), *Jerry Sneak, a henpecked husband.
1824. Miss Mitford, Village, Ser. I. (1863), 223. A little insignificant, perking, sharp-featured man, with a Jerry-Sneak expression in his pale whey-face.
1844. W. H. Maxwell, Sports & Adv. Scotl., xxviii. (1853), 226, note. An Irish landlady … was mated to a Jerry Sneak.
