Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

john q. public

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.46 in modern English

Syllables
john q. pub-lic
IPA
36
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
2
Syllables
11
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A generic individual; some hypothetical average or ordinary citizen.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

First use appears c. 1938. John Q. Public was the name of a character created by Vaughn Shoemaker, an editorial cartoonist for the Chicago Daily News from 1922 to 1952; Shoemaker introduced this character in 1922 but is believed to have added the "Q." sometime in the early 1930s.https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/22/obituaries/vaughn-shoemaker-created-john-q-public.html Compare also John Doe.

Usage

Phrases

John Q. Law Joe Schmoe

Frequently Paired Words

John Q. Law Joe Schmoe John Doe Jane Doe Richard Roe Jane Roe John Smith

Synonyms

Joe Average Joe Bloggs Joe Blow Joe Doakes Joe Public Joe Q. Public Joe Schmoe J. Random User man on the street everyman Tom, Dick or Harry Joe Sixpack

Questions

What does john q. public mean?
A generic individual; some hypothetical average or ordinary citizen.
Where does john q. public come from?
First use appears c. 1938. John Q. Public was the name of a character created by Vaughn Shoemaker, an editorial cartoonist for the Chicago Daily News from 1922 to 1952; Shoemaker introduced this character in 1922 but is believed to have added the "Q." sometime in the early 1930s.https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/22/obituaries/vaughn-shoemaker-created-john-q-public.html Compare also John Doe.

How to pronounce john q. public

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