Word.ws English Dictionary

jake leg

jake leg noun: paralysis of the feet and ankles caused by the consumption of TOCP (tri-ortho-cresyl phosphate) or methyl alcohol, found in adulterated moonshine or Jamaica ginger extract.

Noun

jake leg (uncountable)

  1. (US, historical, slang, 1930s and 40s) Paralysis of the feet and ankles caused by the consumption of TOCP (tri-ortho-cresyl phosphate) or methyl alcohol, found in adulterated moonshine or Jamaica ginger extract.
    • Out-of-town patients came in droves for the treatment of [jake leg]. Jake leg was caused by drinking methyl (wood) alcohol rather than ethyl alcohol. There's a world of difference.2010 July 5, Janet Mace Valenza, Taking the Waters in Texas: Springs, Spas, and Fountains of Youth, University of Texas Press, →ISBN

Questions about jake leg

What does jake leg mean?
Jake leg means paralysis of the feet and ankles caused by the consumption of TOCP (tri-ortho-cresyl phosphate) or methyl alcohol, found in adulterated moonshine or Jamaica ginger extract.
What part of speech is jake leg?
Jake leg is a noun.

Words near jake leg in the dictionary

  1. Jakati
  2. jake
  3. jake brake
  4. jake brakes
  5. Jake it
  6. jake leg
  7. jaked
  8. jakeloo
  9. jakers
  10. jakes
  11. jakes house

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: jake leg (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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