Listener Roberta “Bobbie” Brown recently emailed the Curiosity Desk, after reading a story in the paper about Boston firefighters. In the piece, the author referred to them as “jakes.” She wanted to know where that term comes from and how it came to refer to firefighters in the region.

Like our curious listener, I too have seen firefighters called “jakes” in the papers.
– PUB DATE: 4/25/2019 12:00:00 AM – SOURCE: WGBH
Source: SEAFC National Fire News