I've heard this term in a pirate movie or video game, not sure where. Since, I've been wondering what real meaning this sentence have.
asked Jul 5, 2011 at 10:04
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1 Answer
"Jerry" came from World War II, and is used to refer to the Germans in general.
by shortening of German, originally from the First World War.
Them Jerry planes are bombing Leicester!
It was also used in a derogatory way, so it evolved to be used as an insult on basically everything.
answered Jul 5, 2011 at 10:07
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Why calling Germans "Jerry"? OOOh it refere to German-> Ger-man-> Ger-> Jerry. Thanks you for clearing this up for me ^^ Commented Jul 5, 2011 at 10:09
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Shortening of "German". "German" pronounced "Jer-man", so naturally, shortening it becomes "Jerry". Commented Jul 5, 2011 at 10:13
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1"Used as an insult on basically everything?" Really? I'm pretty sure that's not true; I've only ever heard it in conjuction with German people or equipment, and almost always in a World War II context.– user1579Commented Jul 5, 2011 at 13:22
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Jerry-built and gerrymander have different roots, but no doubt add to the insulting impression. Commented Mar 7, 2012 at 12:25
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I thought ‘jerry-built’, which means ‘badly or hastily made’ was from this, but apparently it’s not, it’s much earlier.– JelilaCommented Feb 16, 2020 at 8:38