letterman jacket

Definition

A wool-body jacket with leather sleeves, traditionally awarded to high school or college athletes who achieve varsity status in their sport. The jacket is customized with school colors, letters, and achievement patches.

Example Usage

The quarterback strutted down the hallway in his letterman jacket, the large 'A' prominently displayed on the sleeve.

Origin

The tradition originated at Harvard University in the late 1800s as a way to honor accomplished athletes; the term 'letter' refers to the monogram representing the school.

Fun Fact

In 1980s and 90s American culture, letterman jackets became powerful status symbols, often signaling athletic prestige and social hierarchy in schools.

Source: Definition backfill (hailey)

Related Terms

Advanced

Iconoclasm

The action or attitude of attacking, rejecting, or destroying established icons, beliefs, or institutions, especially those considered sacred or beyond criticism. It can be literal (destroying religious images) or figurative (challenging orthodoxy).

🎓 Education / Academia

Beginner

seminar course

A small, discussion-based class typically for advanced students, where everyone pretends to have done the reading and one or two people carry the conversation. It's the opposite of a lecture, featuring uncomfortable silences and the professor's disappointed gaze when nobody speaks.

🎓 Education / Academia

Intermediate

Goldilocks syllabus

A course syllabus that achieves the perfect balance—comprehensive enough to cover institutional requirements and set clear expectations, but not so detailed that students never read it or find loopholes. Just right is remarkably difficult to achieve.

🎓 Education / Academia

Beginner

caribou

A large, hoofed mammal found in the Arctic and subarctic regions of North America and Eurasia, known for its extensive seasonal migrations. Both males and females grow antlers, making caribou unique among deer species.

🎓 Education / Academia🍳 Food / Culinary

Beginner

library card

An official document issued by a library that grants a patron access to borrow books, digital resources, and use library facilities. It typically contains the holder's name, a unique identification number, and an expiration date.

🎓 Education / Academia

Intermediate

interdisciplinary

Academic jargon for when multiple departments need to collaborate, usually resulting in meetings where no one fully understands what the others are talking about. It's the university's way of saying "teamwork" while making it sound more prestigious and grant-worthy. In practice, it means twice the bureaucracy with the added challenge of navigating different institutional cultures.

🎓 Education / Academia

Translate This Term

See “letterman jacket” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on X Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Intermediate

scene

A mid-2000s youth subculture defined by emotionally dramatic aesthetics: multi-colored hair, impossibly tight band t-shi...