Street
jakes
What does jakes mean?
The police. Crossed over from American hip-hop (where 'jake' has meant cop since the early 20th century) into UK drill and road-rap vocab as a quick, throwaway way to name the law without saying 'feds' or '12'.
"Jakes pulled up on the corner, everyone scattered."
Origin
Early 20th-century African-American slang for police officer; reimported via UK drill.
Frequently asked questions
What does jakes mean?
It's slang for the feds or the police.
How do you use jakes in a sentence?
"Break it up, the jakes are pulling round the corner."
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