Saw this in the latest issue of RockAuto.com
Where did the term J walking originate......
In the 1920s, "jay" was a contemptuous term for an unsophisticated hillbilly. Also in the '20s, cars commonly collided with and killed pedestrians. There was a push to govern cars' top speeds and otherwise restrict the use of cars. The automotive lobby promoted the use of the derogatory word "jaywalker" as a way to indicate it was foolish pedestrians rather than drivers who were responsible for the numerous collisions. This shaming of "jaywalkers" successfully promoted the notion that roads were built primarily for cars. "Jaywalker" helped get rules written for pedestrians and got more pedestrians to comply with those rules(source Smithsonian Magazine, December 2014).
An anti-jaywalking poster created in 1937
Where did the term J walking originate......
In the 1920s, "jay" was a contemptuous term for an unsophisticated hillbilly. Also in the '20s, cars commonly collided with and killed pedestrians. There was a push to govern cars' top speeds and otherwise restrict the use of cars. The automotive lobby promoted the use of the derogatory word "jaywalker" as a way to indicate it was foolish pedestrians rather than drivers who were responsible for the numerous collisions. This shaming of "jaywalkers" successfully promoted the notion that roads were built primarily for cars. "Jaywalker" helped get rules written for pedestrians and got more pedestrians to comply with those rules(source Smithsonian Magazine, December 2014).
An anti-jaywalking poster created in 1937
I've oftened wondered where some of those terms and sayings came from. So, does anyone know where the term "using the john" originated from? 
