jack of all trades, master of none

See also: jack of all trades

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Expanded form of jack of all trades, which originally was sometimes used as a term of praise.[1][2]

In the 21st century this phrase has itself been (rarely) expanded to a couplet:

Jack of all trades, master of none,
though oftentimes better than master of one.

Pronunciation

  • Audio (General Australian):(file)

Noun

jack of all trades, master of none (plural jacks of all trades, masters of none)

  1. (idiomatic) A person who has a competent grasp of many skills but who is not outstanding in any one.
    Hyponyms: factotum, generalist, handyman, Renaissance man, sciolist
    Coordinate term: Jill of all trades, mistress of none

Translations

References

  1. ^ Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins, William and Mary Morris (HarperCollins, New York, 1977, 1988)
  2. ^ “Re: Jack”, ESC, The Phrase Finder, April 13, 2000
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