Pronounced: BRAH-kish, adj
Notes: I knew one meaning, and was unaware of the others, so I included it
Yesterday’s word
The word jerkwater means “remote, unimportant, or small”
Background / Comments
Back in the days of steam locomotives, they needed frequent refills of water. The train would make water stops near streams and lakes and haul water up to the boiler. These trains were called jerkwaters from jerking water in buckets. The stops were often in remote, insignificant areas, and the word spread to describe towns around these areas — the phrase ‘jerkwater town’ is what I remember from western shows. However, the adjective can be applied to anything small, insignificant, backward, or inferior. Note that jerkwater is a tosspot word.
First usage
The word began to be used in the late 1800s
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 