John
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /d͡ʒɒn/
ipa: /d͡ʒɑn/
rhymes: -ɒn
Forms: form: Johns
form: Jon
form: Joh.
Etymology: From Middle English John, Johan, Johannes, from Anglo-Norman Jehan, Johan, and also Old English Iohannes, both from Late Latin Iōhannēs, variant of Latin Iōannēs, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), from Biblical Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yôḥānān), perhaps contracted from a former יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān, “God is gracious”).
Doublet of Jack, Jon, Johan, Johann, Johannes, Jean, Sean, Shane, Shaun, Ian, Ivan, Evan, Juan, Giovanni, and Yahya.
Senses: examples: text: I and the other "Johns," as I soon discovered all new-comers at Sandhurst were, and are still, styled, although at the time I was unconscious of it, managed to troop in after the A company, but although not two minutes after them, found all the different messes already seated and hard at work.
ref: 1842, The United Service Magazine:
text: To avoid bullying, first-year “Johns” (from Johnny Raw) “fagged” for senior classmen known as “Regs.” Fagging included making beds, running messages, and smuggling contraband.
ref: 2017, Verity McInnis, Women of Empire:
topics: government
military
politics
war
glosses: A new recruit at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
glosses: Alternative letter-case form of john (“a toilet, lavatory, outhouse, chamber pot”).
examples: text: Remember, no Johns.
text: This is the sound of a John. A John. He wants to wait.
ref: 2005 December 3, 3:53 from the start, in NO JOHNS, spoken by John Michael "SOS" Howard, published 6 June 2007 via YouTube, archived from the original on 24 Oct 2024:
text: Bursting from the inaudible chatter of many smiling faces, a thunderous voice emerges, “No Johns, son!”
ref: 2009, Daniel O'hair, “A Smashing Experience”, in Jennifer Oato, editor, Klipsun Magazine, volume 40, number 1, archived from the original on 20 Jun 2016, page 10:
text: You never know, I might show up to challenge you someday. And if we ever do get to go head to head: Please, no Johns.
ref: 2014, 0:47 from the start, in Smash Bros. - Reggie's Message to Fans - Evo 2014, spoken by Reggie Fils-Aimé, IGN, via YouTube, archived from the original on 18 Jul 2014:
text: I didn’t get any hand warmers. I didn’t warm up properly. I didn’t get enough sleep last night. There’s television lag. These are some of the Johns that [D'ron "D1"] Maingrette says he’s heard over the years.
ref: 2019 September 16, Cecilia D'Anastasio, “How A High School Smash Bros. Joke Became A World-Famous Saying”, in Kotaku, archived from the original on 23 Nov 2019:
text: Some "Johns" have become universal among Smash players. Some prominent "Johns" include: controller issues, not enough sleep, food, or water, a cold venue, or a lack of warmup time.
ref: 2020 May 24, Abbie Rappaport, “"Melee is Broken": Super Smash Bros. Melee: An Interdisciplinary Esports Ethnography”, in spectrum.library.concordia.ca, Concordia University, archived from the original on 24 Oct 2022:
text: i have a lot of new opinions on the mechanics of the game. I KNOW it sounds like a john but ill probably talk about it later
ref: 2024 March 18, ayowitty (@lolwitty1), Twitter, archived from the original on 24 Oct 2024:
topics: video-games
qualifier: Super Smash Bros.
glosses: An excuse, chiefly made by a losing player for their poor performance.
Derived terms: Cousin John