# jack of all trades

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/jack-of-all-trades
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

One competent in many endeavours, sometimes regarded as not excelling in any of them.

## Examples

- He is a jack of all trades who fixes everything.
- Because he can paint, garden, and repair cars, he is a true jack of all trades.
- While he was a jack of all trades, he never mastered one specific skill, which limited his career growth in the competitive engineering firm.

## Origin

From jack (“typical man, fellow”) + of + all + trades.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.