jack-up

[ jak-uhp ]

noun

, Informal.

1. an increase or rise:

   a recent jack-up in prices.

jack up

verb

1. tr to increase (prices, salaries, etc)
2. tr to raise an object, such as a car, with or as with a jack
3. slang.
   intr to inject oneself with a drug, usually heroin
4. informal.
   intr to refuse to comply; rebel, esp collectively
5. informal.
   to initiate, organize, or procure

noun

1. something that has been contrived or achieved by dishonest means

Word History and Origins

Origin of jack-up¹

1900–05, Americanism; noun use of verb phrase jack up

Idioms and Phrases

Raise or increase, as in The cartel is jacking up oil prices again . This term alludes to the literal meaning of jack up , that is, “hoist with a jack.” [ Colloquial ; c. 1900]

Example Sentences

In the area at the time were two wind farm crew transfer vessels and a tugboat towing a jack-up maintenance barge.

From BBC

The fire broke out around midday Thursday on the jack-up oil rig in Sabine Pass, where the Texas-Louisiana border meets the Gulf of Mexico.

From Seattle Times

While key decisions about ECB’s emergency stimulus are set for their December meeting, the recent jack-up in rate-hike expectations has traders looking for any clues from Thursday’s meeting.

From Reuters

A jack-up vessel, it will be able to put down legs on the seafloor and then use hydraulic power to lift itself above the waves and create a secure working platform.

From Washington Post

“You’re talking about crew boats, you’re talking about carrying equipment to these jack-up rigs, you’re talking about barges. And, you know, it could grow into many hundreds of jobs.”

From Washington Post

Related Words

• add to
• augment
• boost
• broaden
• build
• develop
• expand
• extend
• grow
• inflate
• lengthen
• magnify
• multiply
• swell
• widen