411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
Jack-in-the-water
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
English
Noun
Jacks-in-the-water
en UK slang obsolete An attendant at the watermen's stairs on the river and seaport towns.
References
en 1873 John Camden Hotten The Slang Dictionary https://www.gutenberg.org/files/42108/42108-h/42108-h.htm#:~:text=Jack-in-the-water