A powerful tool that uses compressed air or electricity to pound a heavy metal bit up and down, breaking concrete, rock, or pavement. It is often used in construction and road work.
A compound of “jack” and “hammer.” “Jack” has long been used in English for mechanical tools or devices that do heavy work, like “car jack” or “jackknife.” Put together, “jackhammer” literally means a hammer that works like a mechanical helper.
The “jack” in jackhammer is the same idea as the “jack” in car jack—a mechanical stand-in for human muscle. A jackhammer is basically a hammer swinging itself hundreds of times a minute. That’s why it sounds like a machine gun made of concrete.
Construction tools like jackhammers have been culturally associated with male-dominated trades, reinforcing stereotypes that heavy manual or technical labor is 'men’s work'. This has contributed to the marginalization of women in construction and related fields.
Avoid assuming jackhammer operators are men; use neutral terms like 'construction worker' or 'operator'.
["construction tool","pneumatic drill"]
Women have increasingly worked in construction and civil engineering, including in roles operating heavy equipment, though their presence is often underreported.
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