What is a Jackpot?
“Jackpot” is a uniquely American word. It can mean a big prize won for gambling or in a sweepstakes or lottery, an interjection or it might be a tiny town in Nevada, near the Idaho state line.
The term “jackpot” has its origins in 1880s slang. When poker players had a game going and no one had a pair of jacks or higher in his hand, the antes would be progressively higher for each hand, until someone came up with those jacks. They won the “jacks’ pot,” or jackpot. Like much American slang, the term caught on for its snappy, direct feel and was in wide use by the 1920s. At that time, it also became criminal slang for being arrested.
A gambling jackpot is usually the biggest prize in the game. In a progressive jackpot situation, such as with slot machines, several machines are linked. The jackpot increases with every quarter or dollar the player feeds into the machine. If someone “hits” or comes up with the maximum combination, then he or she wins the jackpot — whatever total the slot machine was showing at the time.
If someone hits a jackpot on the slots, he or she should never leave the machine before a casino attendant arrives. That’s essentially forfeiting that jackpot to anyone who happens along. Most slot machines have a light on top that flashes when an attendant is needed, but if no one shows up right away, the winner should ask the cocktail server to call an attendant — for a nice tip.
“Jackpot!” is also an interjection. It is usually said when someone discovers something after a long search. It means, “I hit the jackpot” or “I found exactly what I was looking for.” It can also mean a desired outcome for a scientific study such as, “When we found a gene that causes breast cancer, we knew we hit the jackpot.”
Jackpot is also a small town in northeast Nevada, about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the Idaho state line. Its population is about 1,500 and it is unincorporated, in spite of having four casinos, a post office, small airfield, golf course and its own schools. U.S. 93 runs through the middle of the town and Jackpot, Nev. isn’t very close to any other large town.
Americans are good at borrowing words from other languages and cultures. But “jackpot” is our own invention.
Written by A Kaminsky
