i Register
In some senses, jack-in-the-box is marked as obsolete, historical. Watch for register when choosing this word.
jack-in-the-box
noun 3
Collocations
3ADJ.
pressed
VERB + JACK-IN-THE-BOX
delights, disappeared, house, like
PREP.
in
Definitions
noun
1
Children’s toy consisting of a small box from which a male figure pops out unexpectedly after some turnings of a crank.
"Did you venture to call me a liar?" ("No, sir, no!" shouted the accused, and disappeared like a Jack-in-the-box.)
“There’s this terrible business to start with. Scotland Yard men in and out of the house like a jack-in-the-box! Never know where they won’t turn up next.”
2
A small but powerful kind of screw, used by burglars to break open safes.
It was possible, from underneath, to use the old jack-in-the-box safe-breaker's tool which lay in his gasman's bag.
3
A con-man who deceived tradesmen by substituting empty boxes for others full of money.
Thesaurus
Synonyms
Antonyms
Idioms & Phrases
Example Bank
401
"Did you venture to call me a liar?" ("No, sir, no!" shouted the accused, and disappeared like a Jack-in-the-box.)
Wiktionary02
“There’s this terrible business to start with. Scotland Yard men in and out of the house like a jack-in-the-box! Never know where they won’t turn up next.”
Wiktionary03
Normally, you ring a bell and you have at least a half-minute wait before the door opens. But this person was like a jack-in-the-box. He pressed the bell—and out she popped! It made him jump.
Wiktionary04
The child who delights in her jack-in-the-box may have been terrified the first time the puppet-on-a-spring popped out.
Tatoeba · #2047447Usage Notes
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