jayrun

Etymology

Blend of jaywalk + run. Attested since the 20th century.

Why this word is great

JAYRUN — [Verb] To rapidly jaywalk, crossing a street away from a designated crossing while running. A 20th-century blend of jaywalk ("to cross unlawfully") and run ("to move swiftly on foot"). Unlike "jaywalk" (which implies a leisurely, unlawful stroll) or "dart" (which suggests speed without transgression), "jayrun" captures the guilty urgency of urban evasion. It is the sprint of a late commuter dodging honking cabs, the furtive dash of a teenager escaping a shopkeeper’s glare, or the breathless scramble of someone who has just realized, mid-crossing, how fast the light is changing—a fleeting rebellion against the grid, punished only by the pounding of your own heart.

verb

  1. To rapidly jaywalk (“violate pedestrian traffic regulations by crossing a street away from a designated crossing; to walk in the part of the street intended for vehicles”).“Our appreciation of the manner in which the accident occurred was that plaintiff alighted from the bus on the uptown sidewalk of Canal Street, approximately sixty to one hundred feet removed from the corner of Baronne Street, walked around the front thereof and, probably because of the inclement weather, imprudently proceeded to rapidly “jaywalk” or “jayrun” through congested traffic intending to ”