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Jackpots — Troupers’ tall tales (regular folks might say "war stories") of their former exploits. "Cutting up jackpots" is the expression given to swapping these stories.

Jake — One of the stock medicine show characters: a comic blackface character.

Jam — A small-time confidence game, or high-pressure selling by pitchmen.

Jam Auction, Jam Pitch or Jam Joint — A scam in which giveaways of merchandise are used to excite and confuse the audience into purchasing inferior goods at inflated prices. The technique involves giving away small but useful items to everyone at the beginning, under the pretense that the auctioneer is distributing valuable merchandise as an advertising promotion by the manufacturer. Then the agent exacts a token payment, just pennies, for other items, and then he alternates giveaways of slightly more valuable items with sales of them for almost nothing, confusing the marks as to whether, at any given time, they are putting up money "as a good faith gesture" that they will get back, or whether they are tendering payment. When the audience is thoroughly confused, the agents add a final wrinkle: the sale of almost worthless (but apparently valuable) merchandise for what seem like "bargain" prices. (A much more detailed description is contained in my ON THE MIDWAY e-book)

Jenny — A merry-go-round.

Jig Show — Black girl show, from "jigaboo", a very uncouth epithet for black people.

John Robinson — To give an abbreviated performance, or to set all the tops on the back end end-to-end to increase the midway's apparent size.

Joing — To "jo" a game is to rig it so that it cannot be won.

Joint (sometimes "store") — Any carnival midway concession booth. Described by their layout for placement purposes: line-up joints fit with others in a row, center joints attract customers to all four sides and need to be in the middle of an open area. You could have a stick joint (built of wood and situated on the ground) or a trailer joint.

Jointee or Jointy — An agent, a person working a game. There is a firm social division between jointees and showmen.

Juice — Another term for bribes paid to local police.

Juice Man — The carnival electrician and operator of huge generators that can fill an entire 18-wheeler. Collects fees from each operator for "cut in" to the power supply.

Jump — The move to the next engagement.

Kayfabe — A wrestling term originating on the carnival lot. Inside information about the business, not to be disclosed to the public — "the straight dope." Sometimes used as a signal to stop talking too frankly because outsiders, or the authorities, might overhear: "Kayfabe, guys! Have you met my good friend Officer Jones?" To let something slip out because you just won't shut your mouth is to "break kayfabe." To "kayfabe someone" is to withhold information from them.

KB — When an operator has to give a disgruntled and complaining customer his money back.

Keister — A portable display case for the pitchman's wares. You set up you keister on top of your (tripes/tripe): a small tabletop supported by 3 wooden legs configured as a collapsible tripod. Later, and in modern day recreations, a light collapsible waiters' table serves the purpose. Also used to refer to a circus wardrobe trunk, or any luggage.

Key Girl — A swindle in which an agent sells keys to the room of a woman working in the carnival to players who believe she will dispense sexual favors. The foolish victims might find anything from an empty room (the carnival having moved out while the victim went for his "reward’). In a variation more commonly known as a "badger game", the girl’s angry "boyfriend" shakes the victim down for more money under threat of violence or exposure.

Key to the Midway — One of many pranks to play on "green help". In this case, a non-existent thing that you might send your victim off to locate for you. "Hey, kid, you seem like a smart fellow, so go down to the other end of the lot, find Big Sam, and get the key to the midway for me." Or "lightbulb grease" or a "left-handed monkey wrench" or a "board stretcher," maybe some "red lightbulb paint." Maybe send them somewhere to see if they have a "long weight." You might send them looking for the donniker foreman, or send them to a specific carny just to bug that guy, too.

Kick — The pocket (or wherever) a carny keeps his personal money.

Kick Stock — See "throw stock".

Kid Show — Circus term for a sideshow.

Knife Rack — A game in which knives are won by throwing a hoop over the knife and the (deceptively shaped) block the knife is sticking vertically in. Game is also played with watches as prizes, or by mounting the prizes on soup cans. See "Hoop-La".

Kootch Show — The raunchy version of the "girl show". No revue, no "posing," and definitely no clothes, just a close-up view of what men want to see. According to stripper Ann Groff, quoted in Lewis' Carnival, "Only a few peddle their asses. A girl has to be pretty hungry or pretty drunk to lay a mark … it just isn't done."

Larry — Describes something broken or damaged, be it merchandise or anything worn out, or even a person who's a loser (however affable) - "He's just a larry."

Lay Bear — "Well hey, little darlin', you wanna win one of these big bears? Come on, you get five balls to knock these milk bottles off the shelf, you can do it … wait a minute, you know, we're closing now, but there's one of these bears I got put away special for you in my trailer, would you like to see it? You would? Just come with me … how old did you say you was? Fifteen … I mean, you said 18, right? You're just gonna love this bear … is that your sister? She can come too, I might just have two bears…"

Laying it Down — When the agent describes how the game is played.

(Game) Layout or Laydown — The marked place on a joint’s counter where the mark puts his money to indicate his bet, or the "target" table the mark's coin lands on as he tries to win, or the chart that shows odds, payouts, etc.

(Carnival) Layout — The layout of the typical full-featured carnival was a time-tested pattern designed to draw crowds all the way through the lot and maximize their spending. The carnival was always laid out in the shape of a horseshoe. The crowd would enter the gate, and by natural instinct would proceed up the right leg. Games were the first joints they would encounter along the right leg of the horseshoe, games on the outside and rides on the center. The carousel was always the first ride beyond the front gate. After the games the crowd would find the shows and the the penny arcade. In the corner at the right hand bend of the horseshoe the big girl show would draw crowds that far. Across the back of the horseshoe would be the major rides, including one or more ferris wheels. In the far left corner would be the "jig show" (black girl show). Then along the left leg of the horseshoe-shaped map, other shows and then sales joints and games all the way to the front gate.

Layout Man — See "Lot Man."

Layout Pin — Stake used by the lot manager (sometimes called the "layout man") to mark where your joint is supposed to go on the lot. You may desperately want to move one of these while the lot manager's not looking … but if you do, the lot manager's going to take that stake and whack you upside your head.

Lecture Store — A storefront rented temporarily by a pitchman.

Lecturer — An individual who talks inside the show, lecturing on the various acts. Often, acts (especially human oddities) lecture on themselves.

Left Hand Side — In relation to the entrance or main ticket booth, the left side is considered a poorer location for concessions than the right side. Most people tend to enter and turn to their right, and many have spent all their money when they come around to the left hand side. Newcomers to the amusement business and people who don't make the lot man happy end up on the left hand side.

Light Plant — The "genny," the huge 18-wheel-trailer containing massive diesel-powered generators supplying electricity to the lot. Notorious for being an added expense ("ding") charged to carnies along with their rent, even more notorious for being shut down immediately when the lot closes for the night, leaving tired carnies to trudge back to their trailers in the dark. 

Lineup — The row of concessions side-by-side along the side of the midway.

Lobster Man — Human oddity with any of what are now called "limb reduction disorders," a birth defect giving their arms and/or legs the appearance of a lobster's claws.

Loc (or 'loke') — Your location on the lot. A loc near the major rides or on the right-hand side is usually pretty good, but a loc near the kiddie rides is a less favorable position.

Lookie-Lou — More a regionalism than strictly a carny term. Same as "lot lice," they'll walk around and see what they can see, but they won't part with a dime.

"Losum Game" — Some cite this as a a carny term for a game play that should be aborted. However, it is almost certainly a misunderstanding of the German or Yiddish “lies ihn gehen” pronounced "loz im gain," meaning "let him go." If a carny knows that further playing of a particular mark will present a problem, he will tell his co-worker "loz im gain" instead of saying "You're fleecing the sheriff's son, you idiot, now cut it out!" The agent needs to end the game and possibly refund the mark's money rather than find out what the consequences might have been. You can see the phrase "in action" (though not in a carnival context) in a scene featuring Mel Brooks as an indian in "Blazing Saddles." My source says "I remember an old flattie who was playing a mark and the head of the store told him to "loz im gain". The mark, probably Jewish and thus knowing the term, replied "Hell, why didn't you say 'lies ihn gehen' 40 bucks ago?"

Lot Call — Lot Call is the time you are expected to show up on the lot each morning (usually after working until midnight). Ride operators use this time clean and maintain the rides and to meet with local ride inspectors, concessionaires bring in supplies, and everyone else has their duties to perform. 

Lot Lice — Locals who arrive early to gawk and stay late to browse but don't spend anything.

Lot Man, or Lot Manager, Lot Marker or Layout Man — The guy you need to be very nice to, and pay (sometimes as much as 10% of your gross) because he decides where your joint is placed on the lot. Can make thousands of dollars in one large engagement like a State Fair. Pay him well and stay on his good side and you get a good location; cross him and you won't make a dime.

Lugen — An unbelievably dumb, easy mark.

Major Ride — A medium-size ride like a merry-go-round. The largest rides are the "spectacular" rides.

Mark — A townsperson you believe to be a conspicuously easy victim. The ticket booth would have a high counter, above the average person's eyesight, and when the ticket-seller spotted a towny with a big bankroll he might short-change the customer, leaving the change on the counter. If the customer didn't notice or didn't count his change, the ticket-seller would lean over to give him some "friendly" advice about the best attractions, putting his hand on the customer's shoulder to point him toward a show he simply must see, simultaneously dusting his back with chalk from a hidden supply. If the customer instead complained about the wrong change, the ticket seller could always push the remaining change to him and say "I told you to take it." And what does an agent do when he spots a mark? He "plays" him - that's right, just like you play a hooked fish. But a carny truism is, "Always leave the mark a dollar for gas." With gas money he can go home (you don't want him stuck there to raise a beef).

Motordrome — Generally billed as "The Wall of Death" or "Thrill Arena", this is a daredevil show in which motorcycles race around inside a cylindrical enclosure, driving up the side of the cylinder's vertical wall by means of centrifugal force and good traction. The performance progresses from simply driving around the wall, then adds stunts like having a second rider standing unsupported behind the driver. Early versions used small racing cars, and variations have included spherical cages used as tracks, driving with a lion in a sidecar, or having monkeys drive.

Mug Board — The painted board with a head-high hole that you stick your face through to get your picture taken at a mug joint, making you look like you're in a funny setting.

Mug Joint — Photographer offering quick-developed portraits, in the old days usually 1.5"x2" or 2.5"x3.5". Carried a selection of "mug boards" (see above) and novelty mounts (like funny postcards to insert the small picture into). Automatic cameras with a developing mechanism inside were offered to showmen in "Amusement Business"

Mugger — Operator of a "mug joint".

Nail Store — The object of this game is to drive a nail all the way up to its head into a thick board with a single stroke of the hammer. It appeals to "he-men" and "do-it-yourself experts," but it can easily be gaffed. The agent has regular nails in one pocket of his apron to demonstrate, and in the other pocket he has nails weakened so that they will bend instead of driving true. But it requires good "people skills," because you don't want an angry mark with a hammer in his hand at your store, either.

Nanty — Nothing. (Compare the British circus use.)