We asked, what does “lazy jacks” mean and where did the term originate?

According to, Origins of Sea Terms, by John G. Rogers, “lazy jacks” are lines rigged from high on a mast to the boom on a fore- and after, to facilitate dropping or scandalizing a sail quickly. It is probable that this device was invented by Hudson River sailors, whose sailing cargo boats were occasionally hit by squalls and sudden shifts of wind.
It is generally claimed that the name has its origins in the colloquial reference to British sailors as “Jack tars” “lazy jacks” would therefore point to reduction of manpower and effort that lazy jacks provide.