jamoke

English

Alternative forms

jamoch, jamocha, jamoka, jomoke

Etymology

Appeared at the end of the 19th century as a term for coffee, a blend of java +‎ mocha.

By the 1920s or 1940s[1] jamoke was also attested in the sense of "fool, idiot", perhaps suggesting they lacked mental abilities beyond that of a cup of coffee, or perhaps an unrelated word; the first syllable is reminiscent of jaboney, jiboney,[2] and the second syllable is reminiscent of moke. Also spelled jamook, giamoke, and giamope, the term as used for an idiot has also been suggested to derive from a dialectal Italian (Neapolitan or Sicilian) word giamope.[3]

In the 1960s it also began to be used as slang for male genitalia.

This term may be the origin of cup of joe and joe; see those entries for more.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /d͡ʒəˈməʊk/

Noun

jamoke (countable and uncountable, plural jamokes)

(uncountable, slang) Coffee.
- 1957, Samuel Morison, History of United States Naval Operations in World War II (Illinois 2002), page 71:
  The chartroom door popped open before the startled admirals in the cockpit, and the beaming face of the boat's cook appeared to offer the hospitality of his craft, thus: “Would yer Majesty like a cuppa jamoke?”
Synonyms: see Thesaurus:coffee
(countable, slang) A stupid person, fool.
- 2004, Dan Johnson, The Molotov Box, Xlibris, page 24:
  You and I both know that this is not enough money for the President and it's too damn much for some jamoke in the Bronx.
Synonyms: see Thesaurus:fool
(countable, slang) The penis.
Synonyms: see Thesaurus:penis

References

Tom Dalzell, Terry Victor, The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (2015, Routledge, →ISBN), page 1250
“jamoke”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
Modern Language Teachers' Association of Sweden, Moderna språk (2002), volumes 96-97, page 30: Jamook (2:6) in ItAm means 'lame brain, half-wit'; according to Gagliano (1999) it comes from a dialect word giamope 'idiot'."

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[1] Tom Dalzell, Terry Victor, The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (2015, Routledge, →ISBN), page 1250

[2] “jamoke”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

[3] Modern Language Teachers' Association of Sweden, Moderna språk (2002), volumes 96-97, page 30: Jamook (2:6) in ItAm means 'lame brain, half-wit'; according to Gagliano (1999) it comes from a dialect word giamope 'idiot'."