Jack in the cellar
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Old slang for an unborn child: a translation of the Dutch expression for the same Hans in kelder.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Jack in the cellar” mean?
Old slang for an unborn child: a translation of the Dutch expression for the same Hans in kelder.
Is “Jack in the cellar” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.