J is for jabber
jest
joke
jeu
juggle
josh
jape
jokerman
junk
journey
jerboan. small rodent of African deserts with long hind legs and great jumping powers
jennetingn. kind of early apple
joulesn. units of work, or energy, amount of heat generated
jewelsn. precious stones
julepn. a sweet drink, sometimes medicated [from OF, from Arabic julab, from Persian, gul (rose) + ab (water)
jejuneadj. meagre, scanty, barren, unsatisfying to the mind
jequirityn. Indian twining shrub used in medicine and for ornament
japonican. kind of Japanese plant, esp. ornamental variety of pear or quince
jimpadj. (Sc.) slender, graceful; scanty
jazeyn. wig, esp. of worsted
joskinn. (sl) bumpkin, dolt
jarrahn. durable timber from Western Australian mahogany gum tree
JambresMagician of Pharaoh who imitated miracles of Moses (2. Tim.iii. 8)
jaçanan. small tropical wading bird with disproportionally straight claws
jabirun. large stork, the tallest flying bird in the Americas, the name meaning ‘swollen neck’
jacarandan. kind of tropical American hardwood tree with scented wood and blue flowers
jezailn. long Afghan musket
jonquiln. species of narcissus, daffodil with rush-like leaves, pale yellow
jabotn. ornamental frill on woman's bodice
jemadarn. junior native officer of Indian army; head servant; sweeper
jannockadj. (dial. esp. Lancs and Yorks) straightforward, honest, genuine
jumbuckn. Austral. informal word for sheep (Abor.)
jorumn. a large drinking bowl or vessel (C18th after Jorum who brought vessels of gold, silver and brass to King David (II Samuel 8:10)
JoshuaHebrew leader who succeeded Moses as leader of Israel - Latin Ioshua, from Hebrew Yehosua (Yahweh is salvation)
JotunNorse mythology - a giant in conflict with the Aesir (Gods)
juken. (US) rural establishment offering liquor, dancing and gambling
v. in football, to deceive or outmanoeuvre a defender by a feint
n. feint or fake (from Middle English jowken - to bend)
jargonellen. a kind of early pear
jaconetn. a thin cotton fabric stouter than muslin from Puri (Jagannath) in India, thin material with waterproof backing for medical dressings
juratn. a law officer (French and Ch. Is)
jarkmann. a swindling beggar
About the author
David has lived and worked in a number of different countries as, among other things, a camel driver, a tennis coach, a travel photographer, a motivational speaker, a magazine editor, an opera singer, a pantomime dame, a ghost buster and a cat-sitter. He is the author of Tombland Fair, A Teenage Odyssey, J, Yo-yo's Weekend, Dead Boy Walking and Out, all published on Amazon.
Other titles currently available
Tombland Fair
Norwich 1272. Nicolas de Bromholm lives with his parents and baby sister in 'The Mischief Tavern'. When his father's best friend is murdered by a monk, Nicolas' life is turned upside down. Under siege, their world in flames, Nick and his friends must choose which side they are on, that of the rulers, or that of the people.
A Teenage Odyssey
This epic for a new millennium describes teenager Adam Lycett’s journey from comfortable home to cardboard box when he flees his violent stepfather to find his real father somewhere in contemporary London, a Dickensian cityscape populated by gin-swilling, pill-popping juveniles bent on burglary, mugging and sex, by fat-cat lawyers and bankers swindling their clients, by an idle aristocracy abusing the poor and by people living, and dying, under bridges.
Dead Boy Walking
When Iraqi teenager Ali Al-Amin’s parents are killed by a terrorist bomb, he is recruited by Arab Intelligence to infiltrate a school for suicide bombers in Syria. There he is turned into a human bomb, a dead boy walking, and sent to murder 3000 people with sarin nerve gas. Ali has just three days to save himself and the world from total destruction.
J.
A Veritable Jackdaw's nest of a book containing secret societies, conspiracies and counter-conspiracies, Jacobites, Inquisitors, artists and dramatists, jays and jackdaws, velcro jumping, Jewish Zen Buddhist blues, mathematical opera, Jacobean theatre, folk and jazz, kings and popes, Jason and JASON, Bedekeepers and Beadkeepers, tarboys and jumbucks, curious ceremonies, arcane rituals, bizarre coincidences, eccentric characters, lots of fascinating but utterly useless information, plenty of ovophiles and the quest to crown a King.
Out: A Schoolboy’s Tale
When 15 year old Jonathan Peters falls in love for the first time, it is as unwelcome as it is unexpected because he falls in love with another boy. As his love deepens, his internal struggle with being homosexual spills into the open, impacting on his relationships with family, friends and teachers, who must all adjust their ambitions for him and the way they relate to him.
Yo-yo's Weekend
While spending a weekend in York, schoolboy Yo-yo's ring is stolen by Mr Vanilla, a forty stone jewel thief so he gathers together, among others, Lily Gusset, the reverse drag-artist, Mrs Lollipop, bed-ridden these forty years, Baby the talking blackbird, the custard-pie flinging Lettuce Brother clowns, an angry ichthyosaur, a weed and a pebble, a copper named Kipper, a professional Scotchman named Wee Jocko McTavish and the severed head of the Ninth Earl of Northumberland in a quest to retrieve it.