Jack Robinson is a make-believe or mythical person who is invoked in English language conversation to indicate a very short amount of time. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... For the movie from Francis Ford Coppola, see The Conversation. ...

The normal usage is, "(something is done) faster than you can say Jack Robinson" or otherwise "... before you can say Jack Robinson." Style guides generally give guidance on language use. ...

Etymology

Several possible explanations are cited: Not to be confused with Entomology, the study of insects. ...

• Supposedly, an English gentleman of the early 1800s named Jack Robinson was a person who changed his mind often, hence a person had to be quick to catch him in a decision.
• Supposedly, in France in the 1800s, an umbrella was known as a Robinson, and when a gentleman needed his umbrella he would call for his servant (inevitably known as Jacques), hence, "Jacques, Robinson!"
• Between 1660 and 1679 the Officer Commanding the Tower of London was one Sir John Robinson. It may be that the speed of beheading with an axe, something regularly done in the Tower at that time, may be the basis, Jack being a well known form of John.

Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... The term gentleman (from Latin gentilis, belonging to a race or gens, and man, cognate with the French word gentilhomme, the Spanish gentilhombre, and the Italian gentil uomo or gentiluomo), in its original and strict signification, denoted a man of good family, the Latin generosus (its invariable translation in English... Events and Trends Beginning of the Napoleonic Wars (1803 - 1815). ... The Tower of London, seen from the River Thames, with a view of the water gate called Traitors Gate. ... Axe For other uses, see Axe (disambiguation). ...

Citations

Literature

• The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, originally by Francis Grose. [1]
• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C. S. Lewis, Chapter 7.
• Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis, Chapter 1.
• Timequake, by Kurt Vonnegut, Chapter 8.
• Good Omens, by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, p. 48.
• Walden, by Henry David Thoreau, Chapter 15.
• It, by Stephen King, p. 35.
• Nicholas Nickleby (novel), by Charles Dickens, Chapter 46.
• A Christmas Carol (play), by Charles Dickens, Stave II.
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (novel), by Mark Twain, Chapter III pg. 13

Taken from the British Library Learning website page [1]: Francis Groses A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue was first published in 1785 and is a dictionary of slang. ... Francis Grose (1731 - 1791), antiquary and lexicographer, of Swiss extraction, was Richmond Herald 1755-63. ... The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis. ... Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963), commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis, was a Northern Irish author and scholar. ... Mere Christianity is a book by C. S. Lewis, adapted from a 1943 series of BBC radio chats broadcast while Lewis was an Oxford don during World War II and it is considered a classic work in Christian apologetics. ... Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963), commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis, was a Northern Irish author and scholar. ... Timequake is a semi-autobiographical work by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. ... Kurt Vonnegut, Jr Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. ... Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (1990) is a fantasy novel written in collaboration between Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. ... Neil Richard Gaiman () (born November 10, 1960, Portchester, Hampshire) is a British author of numerous science fiction and fantasy works, including many graphic novels. ... Terence David John Pratchett OBE (born April 28, 1948, in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England[1]) is an English fantasy author, best known for his Discworld series. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862; born David Henry Thoreau) was an American author, naturalist, transcendentalist, tax resister, development critic, and philosopher who is most well-known for Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay, Civil Disobedience, an argument for individual resistance... It is a horror novel by Stephen King, published in 1986. ... For other people named Stephen King, see Stephen King (disambiguation). ... The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, (or Nicholas Nickleby for short) is a comic novel of Charles Dickens. ... Dickens redirects here. ... A Christmas Carol (full title: A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas) is Charles Dickens little Christmas Book first published on December 19,[1] 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ... Dickens redirects here. ... Huckleberry Finn and Jim Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885) by Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) is commonly accounted as the first Great American Novel. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the lead section of this article may need to be expanded. ...

The Arts

• In Sam Shepard's 1967 play, Forensic & the Navigators the expression occurs late in the play. It is said by the 2nd Exterminator, before an impending gassing of the bunker.

Actor Sam Shepard mulls over a scene in the motion picture Stealth, while filming on June 15, 2004, aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Movies

• Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang - early in the movie, said by the main character Harry Lockhart, played by Robert Downey Jr.
• Slap Shot - said late in the movie, by Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman), in regards to a boy's sexuality

Promotional poster for Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang. ... For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as... Robert John Downey Jr. ... Slap Shot is a 1977 Hollywood film starring Paul Newman and Michael Ontkean and directed by George Roy Hill. ... Paul Leonard Newman (born January 26, 1925) is an Academy Award-winning American actor and film director. ...

Online Literature

• Bastard Operator From Hell, by Simon Travaglia, Episode 36, 2006