jerkwater

Meanings

Noun

• A train on a branch line.
• A jerkwater town.

Adjective

• Of an inhabited place, small, insignificant, and backward.

Origin

• US mid-19th century. From jerk + water. Refers to the need to supply the boilers of steam trains with water. In rural areas and small towns with no water tower, where the train did not stop, this was done by scooping ("jerking") water from a track pan.