Jack of all trades, master of none

"Jack of all trades, master of none" is a figure of speech used in reference to a person who has dabbled in many skills, rather than gaining expertise by focusing on one.

The original version "a jack of all trades" is often a compliment for a person who is good at fixing and has a very good broad knowledge. They may be a master of integration, as such an individual who knows enough from many learned trades and skills to be able to bring the individual's disciplines together in a practical manner. This person is a generalist rather than a specialist.

Origins[]

Robert Greene used it in his 1592 booklet Greene's Groats-Worth of Wit,^[1] to dismissively refer to actor-turned-playwright William Shakespeare; this is the first published mention of Shakespeare. Some scholars believe 'absolute Johannes factotum' was referring to resolute Johannes Florio, known as John Florio. They have pointed out how 'Johannes' was the Latin name of John (Giovanni) and the name by which Florio was known among his contemporaries,^[2] the term 'absolute' was an alliteration of the nickname chosen and used by Florio in his signature (precisely the word 'resolute') and the term 'factotum' was a disparaging definition of secretary, John Florio's job.^[3][4]

In 1612, the English-language version of the phrase appeared in the book "Essays and Characters of a Prison" by English writer Geffray Mynshul (Minshull),^[5] originally published in 1618,^[6] and probably based on the author's experience while held at Gray's Inn, London, when imprisoned for debt.

"Master of none"[]

The "master of none" element appears to have been added later;^[7] it made the statement less flattering to the person receiving. Today, the phrase used in its entirety generally describes a person whose knowledge, while covering a number of areas, is superficial in all of them. When abbreviated as simply "jack of all trades", it is an ambiguous statement; the user's intention is then dependent on context. However, when "master of none" is added this is unflattering and sometimes added in jest.^[8] In the United States and Canada, the phrase has been in use since 1721.^[9][10]

“Full quotation”[]

In modern times, the phrase with the "master of none" element is sometimes expanded into a less unflattering couplet by adding a second line: "though oftentimes better than master of one" (or variants thereof), with some writers saying that such a couplet is the "original" version with the second line having been dropped, although there are no known instances of this second line dated to before the twenty-first century.^{[11][12][13][14][15]}

See also[]

• Amateur
• Competent man
• Multipotentiality
• Philomath
• Polymath

References[]

External links[]

• The dictionary definition of jack of all trades at Wiktionary