Jack of Dover
Preserved but no longer current.
Some unidentified eatable mentioned by Chaucer in the Cook's Prologue. "Our host," addressing the cook, says: — Now telle on, Roger, loke that it be good; For many a pastee hastow laten blood, And many a Jakke of Dover hastow sold That hath been twyes hoot and twyes cold. Professor Skeat says that this is "probably a pie that had been cooked more than once"; another suggestion is that it means some sea- fish (cp.
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 of Dover” mean?
Some unidentified eatable mentioned by Chaucer in the Cook's Prologue. "Our host," addressing the cook, says: — Now telle on, Roger, loke that it be good; For many a pastee hastow laten blood, And many a Jakke of Dover hastow sold That hath been twyes hoot and twyes cold. Professor Skeat says that this is "probably a pie that had been cooked more than once"; another suggestion is that it means some sea- fish (cp.
Is “Jack of Dover” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.