what is a jolly jack tart

Subject: what is a jolly jack tart
From: The Sandman
Date: 02 Sep 12 - 02:01 PM

last night I was singing the song do me amma, after i finidhed the song a serious minded member of the adience asked me what is a jolly jack tart?
any suggestions appreciated

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: johncharles
Date: 02 Sep 12 - 02:05 PM

A spelling mistake?

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: Dead Horse
Date: 02 Sep 12 - 02:27 PM

Sounds to me like a sailors comforter :-)

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: RTim
Date: 02 Sep 12 - 02:36 PM

A Mondegreen!!

Tim radford

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: Betsy
Date: 02 Sep 12 - 02:52 PM

A sailor who has a habit of mincing around with his hand on his hip.

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 02 Sep 12 - 02:59 PM

A pastry delicacy for cannibals with a salty flavour.

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: johncharles
Date: 02 Sep 12 - 03:21 PM

google provides an answer
Jolly Jack Tart - An hilarious navy lark by Dixon Scott 30 Nov 2009

Jolly Jack Tart is a rollicking navy comedy written by national newspaper journalist Dixon Scott.
Scott served in the war-time navy for 3 years - mostly on the cruiser HMS Cumberland.
But he ended his service on a mine-sweeper, just like the hapless hero of his novel.
Jolly Jack Tart is a brilliant ocean-going bundle of laughs from beginning to end.

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: The Sandman
Date: 02 Sep 12 - 03:50 PM

john charles, that sounds fairly mundaneeven by googles standards, i prefer elizas answer

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: EBarnacle
Date: 02 Sep 12 - 03:51 PM

It is clearly an apple tart with Monterey jack cheese between the apples and the pastry base.

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: GUEST,wyrdolafr
Date: 02 Sep 12 - 04:00 PM

A small dainty citrus cake made in the galley kitchens during the Napoleonic wars. The size of the serving was enough to help keep scurvy at bay.

Interestingly, this cake relates to the song 'the Handsome Cabin Boy'. The 'jolly' is actually a corruption of 'joli/e', being French for 'pretty' or 'nice' rather than 'jolly', and Jack is actually Jacques. It's basically 'Pretty Jack' tart.

#CallMyBluff

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 02 Sep 12 - 04:38 PM

I was just about to plump for Eliza's when wyrdolafr's came in. I think DH's is a double bluff so I'm plumping for that. Okay, open your cards up.

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: GUEST,wyrdolafr
Date: 02 Sep 12 - 04:48 PM

BLUFF

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 02 Sep 12 - 04:50 PM

I knew it! Too clever by half to be true.

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: GUEST,raymond greenoaken
Date: 02 Sep 12 - 06:02 PM

Part of the rider at nautical festivals. I enjoyed several at SeaFest recently.

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: Kit Griffiths
Date: 03 Sep 12 - 02:16 AM

A Fisherman's Friend?

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: Rusty Dobro
Date: 03 Sep 12 - 03:43 AM

Another name for a Rolling King?

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: Scabby Douglas
Date: 03 Sep 12 - 05:26 AM

It's actually, as you might expect, a slightly corrupted nautical term.

On a sailing vessel with more than three masts, the aft-most and shortest mast was often referred to as the "jigger-mast" or sometime just contracted to "jig".

Because this mast was shorter hands assigned to work the smaller sails and less complex rigging were regarded as having a comparatively easy time of it, and were sarcastically described as jolly "jiggards" or "jiggarts" - which over time evolved into "Jack Tars"

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 03 Sep 12 - 03:09 PM

Refresh. I've just tried about 20 times to post something to this thread. Bloodyt gremlins again!

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 03 Sep 12 - 03:13 PM

21
Okay they're getting dafter so here goes.

'Jolly Jack' was a very successful commercially produced jig doll in the early 20th century. Songs were written about him and of course they had to supply a female version eventually.

Here's a verse from one of Jolly Jack's songs:

Here's to good old Jolly Jack,
He had a wooden heart
And head over heels in love he fell
With a lovely Jolly Jack tart.

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 03 Sep 12 - 03:13 PM

YESSSSS!!!!!

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: Mo the caller
Date: 04 Sep 12 - 10:04 AM

Of course you can supply authentication of that song Steve :)

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 04 Sep 12 - 11:45 AM

It's a treacle tart flavored with apple-jack whiskey. The whiskey provided a little flavor at sea, where fresh apples are not to be found.

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: johncharles
Date: 04 Sep 12 - 01:50 PM

Roud: soixante Neuf

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 04 Sep 12 - 02:08 PM

Position soixante neuf??

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: johncharles
Date: 04 Sep 12 - 02:27 PM

Oui, mon petite tattie bogle.

Subject: RE: what is a jolly jack tart
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 04 Sep 12 - 03:18 PM

Of course I can, Mo.
Wrote it on Sunday, collected it on Monday. It's now part of the internet tradition. The tune BTW is Harry Clifton's Calico Printer's Clerk.