John Q. Public
John Q. Public (and several similar names; see the Variations section below) is a generic name and placeholder name, especially in American English, to denote a hypothetical member of society, deemed a "common man", who is presumed to represent the randomly selected "man on the street".
The equivalent term in British English is Joe Public.
Variations
This section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2020) |
There are various similar terms for the
Roughly equivalent are the names Joe Blow, Joe Six-pack, and the nowadays rather less popular Joe Doakes and
Usage
In the United States, the term John Q. Public is used by law enforcement officers to refer to an individual with no criminal bent, as opposed to terms like perp (short for perpetrator) or skell to qualify unsavory individuals.[citation needed]
2008
History
John, Quisquam and "The Public" first appears in the formation of the United States as a nation where English and German were being discussed as the official language of the new United States in the later 1700s. Many new Americans of Lutheran German heritage also spoke Latin and used the term "quisquam" with a gender neutral meaning of "anyone" where, in English, John was the generic male term for a person.
The term John Q. Public was the name of a character created by
Other English-speaking countries
The equivalent in the
In Australia and New Zealand, John (or Jane) Citizen is usually seen as a placeholder in credit card advertisements, while Joe (or Jane) Bloggs is also commonly used in speech. Joe Blow is also used, often to suggest a possibly undesirable person. For example: "You left the door open so any Joe Blow could have walked in." Also used: Fred Nurk, Joe Farnarkle.
In Ireland Joe Soap is used as a generic reference to a male. Also Seán and Síle Citizen; Irish: Seán Ó Rudaí, from rud = thing(s).
In
References
- ^ Adar, Ruth (2019-12-27). "Is the Talmud Full of Lies?". Coffee Shop Rabbi. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
- ^ "McCain, Obama go head to head in last debate - CNN.com". CNN. October 15, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ "Vaughn Shoemaker; Created John Q. Public". The New York Times. August 22, 1991. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ Longtime cartoonist Jim Lange dies, The Oklahoman, April 18, 2009.
- ^ Goodbye, Jim: Our hats are off for 58-year cartoonist, The Oklahoman, April 19, 2009.
- ^ Mr. Voter Tapped by Senate as State’s Official Editorial Cartoon, Oklahoma State Senate News, March 9, 2006 (retrieved May 25, 2009).
- ^ Gosselin, Sophie. "Six Editorial Cartoonists and their Favourite Subjects". McCord Museum. Archived from the original on April 13, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
- ISBN 978-0814720158. Retrieved April 12, 2015.