jack all
A mildly vulgar slang phrase meaning absolutely nothing — a more emphatic version of 'nothing at all,' used to express frustration or dismissiveness.
Definitions
A mildly vulgar slang phrase meaning absolutely nothing — a more emphatic version of 'nothing at all,' used to express frustration or dismissiveness. Functionally parallel to 'bugger all' or 'sod all' in British registers. Typically deployed when someone has received nothing, achieved nothing, or been left with nothing after an effort.
I waited for two hours and got jack all for it.
Comments
(mildly, vulgar, slang) Nothing.
Jack all means: Nothing.. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. It carries sexual or vulgar connotations; not alarming on its own but worth understanding the context your teen heard it in. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
jack all means: Nothing.. Register: very informal, often derogatory or vulgar. Avoid in formal, business, academic, or polite writing. Even in casual speech the word can offend and is best left out of a learner's active vocabulary. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
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🗺️About Regional & Other slang
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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- jack shit78%
(slang, vulgar, derogatory) Nothing, (lack of) anything (i.e. lack of anything of value).
- dick all73%
A blunt, vulgar British and Canadian expression meaning absolutely nothing or next to nothing at all. Functionally equivalent to 'jack squat,' 'sweet FA,' or 'bugger all,' it emphasizes complete emptiness or absence — of money, effort, progress, or results. The directness is part of its appeal: when someone has done dick all, there's no softening that assessment. It carries both frustration and a certain resigned humor, especially when applied to oneself.
- dick all72%
(slang, vulgar) Nothing at all, or very little.
- shit all70%
(UK, Irish, Commonwealth, slang, vulgar) nothing at all or very little.