jill of all trades

plural jills of all trades · alternative Jill of all trades · alternative Jill-of-all-trades · alternative jill-of-all-trades

1. idiomaticA woman competent in many endeavors rather than only one.

   Sister Josephine was a jill of all trades. She served as bursar, school secretary, meals supervisor, welfare officer and troubleshooter.

   2012, Ruth Hamilton, The Bells of Scotland Road, Macmillan, published 2012, →ISBN

   2 more examples

   Sitting in a dive in Central Square, the one where she works as a dishwasher, barmaid, jill of all trades (illegal, no papers, below-the-minimum cash payments, afternoon and early evening shifts), she stared into a mug of beer and told herself: There comes a point.

   1988, Janette Turner Hospital, Charades, University of Queensland Press, published 2003, →ISBN, page 268

   If you intend to work primarily in one field, that approach would be reasonable. But if you aspire to be a jack or jill of all trades, you may want to begin by looking at some general guides for nonspecialized writers.

   2000, Amy Einsohn, The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications, University of California Press, published 2000, →ISBN, page 64

plural Jills of all trades

1. Alternative letter-case form of jill of all trades.

   She was a people person, a bartender for years, a Jill of all trades.

   2006, Alice Sharpe, Duplicate Daughter, Harlequin, →ISBN

   2 more examples

   Running a crafty biz means being a Jill of all trades, and you have to be a real self-starter (if you'll pardon the business jargon).

   2009, Grace Dobush, Crafty Superstar: Make Crafts on the Side, Earn Extra Cash, and Basically Have It All, North Light Books, →ISBN, page 20

   She was the Jill of all trades there; shampoo girl, receptionist, and sweep up gal.

   2012, J. N. Sadler, Neighbors, Xlibris, →ISBN, page 44