Jack the Lad

Jack the Lad

A confident, carefree young man. Primarily heard in UK. Jim's a bit of a Jack the Lad—he likes his job as a bicycle courier and doesn't care what anybody else thinks.
See also: jack, lad
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

a ˌJack the ˈLad

(British English, slang) a young man who is very confident in a noisy way, and enjoys going out with male friends, drinking alcohol and trying to attract women: He used to be a bit of a Jack the Lad — I never thought he’d settle down and get married.This was originally the nickname of an 18th-century thief called Jack Sheppard.
See also: jack, lad
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • a Jack the Lad
  • breeze up to (someone or something)
  • not have a care in the world
  • be on the sick list
  • be a bit off
  • take a turn for the worse
  • be on the wagon
  • be/go on the wagon
  • on the wagon, to be
  • salad
References in periodicals archive
A HEARTBROKEN mum has paid tribute to her "Jack the Lad" son who was loved by everyone.
A wee bit of a jack the lad but everyone loved him."
Spitfires flew figures of eight, And demolished the railway sidings, Down by the grate, He finished off the viaduct With a lethal elbow and knee, Then blasted the turntable to eternity, Which made the Station Master Go ballistically mad, So he blew the guard's whistle, On young Jack the lad And even though the boy was only four, He'd been old enough to go to war!
He was a Jack the Lad and that has seeped through into his management.
His family paid tribute to him saying: "Outwardly James appeared to be a Jack the lad, without a care in the world, but that belied his true nature which was deeply sensitive and fiercely loyal to his family and friends.
A "JACK the lad" texted a woman after he sexually assaulted her in the early hours of the New Year, saying she should have let him sleep with her.
Billy -- who served his musical apprenticeship with Jack the Lad and Lindisfarne, and has recently toured the UK with Ray Laidlaw performing The Lindisfarne Story -- says he is looking forward to the gigs and in particular having the chance to work closely with Tom.
"That was during the time Jack Daniel's was set up, but more importantly, he was called John 'Jack the Lad' Daniel's."
His son Jack (Rob Compton) is proving a Jack the Lad, two-timing his girlfriend and heading for a sticky end...
He has categorised them as the 'Flirt', 'Gossip', 'Fun-Lover', 'Wallflower', 'Ice Queen', 'Playboy', 'Jack the Lad' and 'Browbeater'.
After just over a year in pop, Jack The Lad Swing now have two Brit Awards and two number ones under their belts.
Sarah, Sussex v v Watch out for Jack the lad Congratulations to Jack Dean on getting his claim down to 3lb.
A real Jack the lad. Unfortunately, the fifth time he didn't escape and was hung.
Firefighters have been warned that the "Jack the lad" and "cheeky chappy" firefighter belong to a "bygone age".
A MUSEUM collection in the North-East helped track back the origins of the phrase "Jack the Lad".