A jack chain is a type of chain made of thin wire, with figure-eight-shaped links, and loops at right angles to each other. Jack chains are often used to suspend fixtures such as lights or signs, for decorative purposes, or as part of a cable lock.
Jack chain may be manufactured as either single-jack chain or as double-jack chain. If double-jack, the lower loop is formed of two strands of wire rather than just one as in a single-jack.
A jack chain is a tool attached to a toothed chain for moving logs.
A jack chain is a form of arm protection for the 15th century infantry soldier who typically was not dressed in plate armor but wore a padded arming jacket (“jack”) to protect his upper body.
Famous quotes containing the words jack and/or chain:
“This is the house that Jack built.
This is the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.”
—Mother Goose (fl. 17th–18th century. The House That Jack Built (l. 1–3)
“The name of the town isn’t important. It’s the one that’s just twenty-eight minutes from the big city. Twenty-three if you catch the morning express. It’s on a river and it’s got houses and stores and churches. And a main street. Nothing fancy like Broadway or Market, just plain Broadway. Drug, dry good, shoes. Those horrible little chain stores that breed like rabbits.”
—Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1909–1993)