jack squat

English

Etymology

Related to both jack shit and squat as in diddly-squat; apparently a blend of them. Attested since the 1970s; especially widely popularized by a Saturday Night Live sketch of 1993, "Matt Foley: A Scary Story on Halloween."

Noun

jack squat (uncountable)

1. Synonym of jack shit.
   • 1979, The Professional Geologist‎^[1], volume 35, American Institute of Professional Geologists, page 7:

     […] into the fracas with nonsensical gibberish, pretending to be speaking intelligently in Tigrinya. We had a lot of fun like that. The class also enjoyed learning American phrases. One of their favorites was "Diddly Jack Squat".

   • 1989, Jim Jr Leonard, V & V Only: A Play in Two Acts‎^[2], Samuel French Inc, →ISBN, pages 49-50:

     ANTONIO. I seen this program one time with people from Oklahoma and these places ridin' around in their Model T cars with their grandmother and the mattresses piled ten feet in the fuckin' air. I don't feel nothin' for them. I feel jack squat for them people. Hell, they were movin'. They had a damn car. The ground's right below 'em—stick a seed in it, grow somethin' to eat … ! But here, unless you ate garbage—which some people did, and some still doin' it—there's not anyplace you can go to a bush and pick berries off it for nourishment. Christ, it was chaos, the fuckin' depression.

   • 1989, Jimmy Chesire, Home Boy: A Novel‎^[3], New American Library, →ISBN, page 161:

     Oh, sure, I say and hand it over.
     "When is it?" I ask. He's about to send me on my way and I don't know jack squat about it.

   • 1993, “Matt Foley: A Scary Story on Halloween”, in Saturday Night Live‎^[4], season 19, spoken by Matt Foley (Chris Farley):

     Mischievous teenager. Uh, really, I don't know.
     Matt Foley: "I don't know." Well, that and a nickel'll get ya a hot cup of jack squat!