John’s silver pin, subs. phr. (old).—A piece of finery amongst sluttery
and dirt.
John-a-nokes (or John-at-the-Oaks), subs. (old).—Anybody; Mr.
Thingumbob (q.v.). Also John-a-stiles or John-at-the-styles.
d. 1529. Skelton, Colyn Cloute, line 323. What care they though Gil
sweate, Or Jacke of the Noke.
1635. Glapthorne, Hollander, in Wks. (1874), 94. ‘I know not how
you style him.’ ‘Not John-a-Stiles, the Knight of the Post is it?’
1772. G. A. Stevens, Songs Comic & Satyricall, 246. From
John-a-Nokes to Tom-a-Styles What is it all but fooling?
1815. Scott, Guy Mannering (ed. 1829), ii. 13, 167. Adventures who
are as willing to plead for John-a-Nokes as for the first noble of
the land.
John-a-dreams, subs. (old).—A dreamer; a man of sentiment and fancy as
opposed to action; a futile person.
1596. Shakspeare, Hamlet, ii. 2. While I a dull, and noddy-mettled
rascal, peak Like John-a-dreams, impregnant of my Cause And can say
nothing.
1876. Henley, A Book of Verse, p. 91. Kate-a-Whimsies,
John-a-dreams, Still debating, Still delay, And the world’s a ghost
that gleams, Hovers—vanishes away.
1878. Julian Sturgis, JOHN-A-DREAMS [Title].
1894. Haddon Chambers, JOHN-A-DREAMS [Title].
John-among-the-Maids, subs. phr. (old).—A lady’s man; a Carpet-Knight
(q.v.).
John-and-joan, subs. phr. (old).—An hermaphrodite.
John-Audley, subs. (theatrical).—A signal to abridge the performance.
[When another ‘house’, (q.v.) is waiting the word ‘John-Audley’ is
passed round]. Also John Orderly.
1875. Athenæum, 24 April, p. 545, col. 2. When that wary son of
wandering Thespis (Richardson) used to step inside from the front,
and ask ‘Is John Audley here?’ the stage-manager dropped the
curtain wherever the tragedy might be, and a new audience took the
places of the old. Even at this day, in dramatic slang, to John
Audley a play means to cut it down to a comfortable brevity.
1893. Emerson, Signor Lippo, v. One said, ‘John Audley’, that means
leave off!
John-Barleycorn, subs. (common).—Beer. For synonyms see Drinks and
Swipes.
1791. Burns, Tam O’Shanter. Inspiring, bold John Barleycorn.
John Blunt, subs. phr. (common).—A plain-spoken man. See also Jock
Blunt.
John-Cheese, subs. (common).—A clown. Also John Trot.
John Collins, subs. phr. (Australian).—See quot.
1865. The Australasian, 24 Feb. p. 8.... That most angelic of
drinks for a hot climate—a John Collins (a mixture of soda water,
gin, sugar, lemon and ice).
John Chinaman, subs. phr. (old).—A Chinaman; the Chinese collectively.
John Company, subs. phr. (old).—The Hon. East India Company.
1808. Lord Minto in India, 184. Preparations to save Johnny
Company’s cash.
1852. Mem. Col. Maintain, 293. John Company whatever may be his
faults is infinitely better than Downing street.
1880. Sat. Review, Feb. 14, p. 220. Doubt as to whether there were
any such person as John Company.
John Davis, subs. (American).—Money: otherwise Ready John. For synonyms
see Actual and Gilt.
Johnian, subs. (Cambridge university).—A student of St. John’s College:
also Johnian Pig or Hog—see Hog, subs. sense 3. Also as adj.: e.g.
Johnian blazer, Johnian melody etc.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Hog ... Jonian hogs an appellation
given to the members of St. John’s College Cambridge.
1829. Praed, Poems, ‘The Vicar’. Sit in the Vicar’s seat: you’ll
hear The doctrine of a gentle Johnian.
1841. Westminster Rev., xxxv. 236. The johnians are always known as
pigs. They put up a new organ the other day which was immediately
christened ‘Baconi Novum Organum.’
John Long the Carrier. To Stay for (or send by) John Long the Carrier,
verb. phr. (old).—To wait a long time; to postpone for an indefinite
time.
Johnnie (or Johnny), subs. (common).—1. A policeman: also Johnny Darby.
1851. Mayhew, Lond. Lab. &c. ii. 154. The johnnys on the water are
always on the look-out, and if they sees any on us about we has to
cut our lucky.
1878. Besant and Rice, By Celia’s Arbour, vi. We might run up and
down the slopes or on the ramparts ... without rebuke from the
johnnies, the official guardians of the walls.
1886. Graphic, Jan. 30, p. 130, col. 1. Constables used to be known
as johnny Darbies, said to be a corruption of the French
gensdarmes, and they are still occasionally called Johnnies.
2. (general).—An acquaintance; a young man about town. Also = a
sweetheart, male or female: e.g. My Johnny.
1724–27. Ramsay, Bonny Tweedside, in Wks. ii. 245. And let us to
Edinburgh go Where she that is bonny, May catch her a johnny, And
never lead apes below.
1883. Punch, August 18, p. 84, col. 2. Ah! who is more brave than
your johnny of note, With his snowy shirt-front and his dainty
dust-coat.
1889. Sporting Times, 3 Aug. p. 1. col. 1. Well, I’ll put it
practically to you. A straight line is the way you johnnies will go
to the canteen when I’ve done with you.
1889. Pall Mall Gazette, 23 Sept. p. 2, col. 3. Now to the johnny
in the stalls, now to the ‘’Arry’ in the amphitheatre flew the
honeyed tokens, until the air was overcast with them.
1889. Pall Mall Gazette, 29 Oct. p. 7, col. 1. Mr. Blake said he
was very fond of her and did not intend to leave her, as many a
johnny would have done.
1890. Tit Bits, 3 Aug. p. 332, col. 3. A microcephalous youth,
whose chief intellectual relaxation consists in sucking the head of
a stick, thinks that his conversational style is brilliant when he
calls a man a johnnie, a hero, ‘a game sort of a chappie,’ and so
on.
1890. Daily Telegraph, 4 Feb. The committee seriously discussed the
feasibility of conferring with a high-class johnnie.
1892. Kipling, Barrack Room Ballads, ‘The Widow’s Party’, 57. Where
have you been this while away, ... Johnnie, my johnnie, aha!
1894. Percy White, Mr. Bailey Martin, p. 49. What snap your sister
has got, and how she must mash all your local johnnies.