"jack of all trades, master of none" meaning in English

See jack of all trades, master of none in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Audio: En-au-jack of all trades, master of none.ogg Forms: jacks of all trades, masters of none [plural]
Etymology: Expanded form of jack of all trades, which originally was sometimes used as a term of praise. 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. Head templates: {{en-noun|jacks of all trades, masters of none|head=jack of all trades, master of none}} 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. Wikipedia link: jack of all trades, master of none Tags: idiomatic Categories (topical): People Synonyms: factotum, handyman, sciolist, generalist, Renaissance man, Jack of all trades, master of none, Jack-of-all-trades, master of none, jack-of-all-trades, master of none, jack of all trades—master of none Coordinate_terms: Jill of all trades, mistress of none Translations (person who has a competent grasp of many skills): 萬金油 (Chinese Mandarin), 万金油 (wànjīnyóu) (Chinese Mandarin), 博而不精 (bó'érbùjīng) (Chinese Mandarin), devatero řemesel, desátá bída (Czech), twaalf stielen, dertien ongelukken (Dutch), jokapaikanhöylä (Finnish), jokapaikan höylä (Finnish), bon à tout, propre à rien (French), Hans Dampf in allen Gassen [masculine] (German), 器用貧乏 (kiyōbinbō) (alt: きようびんぼう) (Japanese), Johannes factotum [New-Latin] (Latin), همهکاره و هیچکاره (Persian), pau para toda obra (english: wood for every construction) [Brazil] (Portuguese), подмасте́рье всех ремёсел, ма́стер ни одного́ (podmastérʹje vsex remjósel, máster ni odnovó) [masculine] (Russian), за всё берётся, да не всё удаётся (za vsjo berjótsja, da ne vsjo udajótsja) [masculine] (Russian), автофотовеломототелерадиомонтёр (avtofotovelomototeleradiomontjór) [humorous, masculine] (Russian), aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada (Spanish), quien mucho abarca, poco aprieta (Spanish), รู้อย่างเป็ด (Thai)
{
  "etymology_text": "Expanded form of jack of all trades, which originally was sometimes used as a term of praise.\nIn the 21st century this phrase has itself been (rarely) expanded to a couplet:\n: Jack of all trades, master of none,\n: though oftentimes better than master of one.",
  "forms": [
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      "form": "jacks of all trades, masters of none",
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      "name": "en-noun"
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
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      "coordinate_terms": [
        {
          "word": "Jill of all trades, mistress of none"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A person who has a competent grasp of many skills but who is not outstanding in any one."
      ],
      "id": "en-jack_of_all_trades,_master_of_none-en-noun-yIfPbGw6",
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          "competent",
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      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) A person who has a competent grasp of many skills but who is not outstanding in any one."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "factotum"
        },
        {
          "word": "handyman"
        },
        {
          "word": "sciolist"
        },
        {
          "word": "generalist"
        },
        {
          "word": "Renaissance man"
        },
        {
          "word": "Jack of all trades, master of none"
        },
        {
          "word": "Jack-of-all-trades, master of none"
        },
        {
          "word": "jack-of-all-trades, master of none"
        },
        {
          "word": "jack of all trades—master of none"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
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      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
          "word": "萬金油"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "wànjīnyóu",
          "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
          "word": "万金油"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "bó'érbùjīng",
          "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
          "word": "博而不精"
        },
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
          "word": "devatero řemesel, desátá bída"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
          "word": "twaalf stielen, dertien ongelukken"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
          "word": "jokapaikanhöylä"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
          "word": "jokapaikan höylä"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
          "word": "bon à tout, propre à rien"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Hans Dampf in allen Gassen"
        },
        {
          "alt": "きようびんぼう",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "kiyōbinbō",
          "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
          "word": "器用貧乏"
        },
        {
          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
          "tags": [
            "New-Latin"
          ],
          "word": "Johannes factotum"
        },
        {
          "code": "fa",
          "lang": "Persian",
          "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
          "word": "همهکاره و هیچکاره"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "english": "wood for every construction",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
          "tags": [
            "Brazil"
          ],
          "word": "pau para toda obra"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "podmastérʹje vsex remjósel, máster ni odnovó",
          "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "подмасте́рье всех ремёсел, ма́стер ни одного́"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "za vsjo berjótsja, da ne vsjo udajótsja",
          "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "за всё берётся, да не всё удаётся"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "avtofotovelomototeleradiomontjór",
          "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
          "tags": [
            "humorous",
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "автофотовеломототелерадиомонтёр"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
          "word": "aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
          "word": "quien mucho abarca, poco aprieta"
        },
        {
          "code": "th",
          "lang": "Thai",
          "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
          "word": "รู้อย่างเป็ด"
        }
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "jack of all trades, master of none"
      ]
    }
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}
{
  "coordinate_terms": [
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      "word": "Jill of all trades, mistress of none"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Expanded form of jack of all trades, which originally was sometimes used as a term of praise.\nIn the 21st century this phrase has itself been (rarely) expanded to a couplet:\n: Jack of all trades, master of none,\n: though oftentimes better than master of one.",
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      "form": "jacks of all trades, masters of none",
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
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        "(idiomatic) A person who has a competent grasp of many skills but who is not outstanding in any one."
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      "word": "factotum"
    },
    {
      "word": "handyman"
    },
    {
      "word": "sciolist"
    },
    {
      "word": "generalist"
    },
    {
      "word": "Renaissance man"
    },
    {
      "word": "Jack of all trades, master of none"
    },
    {
      "word": "Jack-of-all-trades, master of none"
    },
    {
      "word": "jack-of-all-trades, master of none"
    },
    {
      "word": "jack of all trades—master of none"
    }
  ],
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    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
      "word": "萬金油"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "wànjīnyóu",
      "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
      "word": "万金油"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "bó'érbùjīng",
      "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
      "word": "博而不精"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
      "word": "devatero řemesel, desátá bída"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
      "word": "twaalf stielen, dertien ongelukken"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
      "word": "jokapaikanhöylä"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
      "word": "jokapaikan höylä"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
      "word": "bon à tout, propre à rien"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Hans Dampf in allen Gassen"
    },
    {
      "alt": "きようびんぼう",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "kiyōbinbō",
      "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
      "word": "器用貧乏"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
      "tags": [
        "New-Latin"
      ],
      "word": "Johannes factotum"
    },
    {
      "code": "fa",
      "lang": "Persian",
      "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
      "word": "همهکاره و هیچکاره"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "english": "wood for every construction",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
      "tags": [
        "Brazil"
      ],
      "word": "pau para toda obra"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "podmastérʹje vsex remjósel, máster ni odnovó",
      "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "подмасте́рье всех ремёсел, ма́стер ни одного́"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "za vsjo berjótsja, da ne vsjo udajótsja",
      "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "за всё берётся, да не всё удаётся"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "avtofotovelomototeleradiomontjór",
      "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
      "tags": [
        "humorous",
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "автофотовеломототелерадиомонтёр"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
      "word": "aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
      "word": "quien mucho abarca, poco aprieta"
    },
    {
      "code": "th",
      "lang": "Thai",
      "sense": "person who has a competent grasp of many skills",
      "word": "รู้อย่างเป็ด"
    }
  ],
  "word": "jack of all trades, master of none"
}

Download raw JSONL data for jack of all trades, master of none meaning in English (5.7kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (d8cb2f3 and 4e554ae). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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