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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

John Henry en · NOUN

Pronunciation

Etymology

Believed to be a Western United States cowboy variation (dating from the late 1700s or early 1800s) of John Hancock, the first person to sign the United States Declaration of Independence and whose name later became a synonym for a signature. This usage predates the American folklore hero John Henry from the 1870s.

Meanings

  1. (idiomatic) One's signature.
    • They stepped forward. Bury held a pen at them. “So if you fellows will just put your John Henrys on this document, it's all legal.” The two privates signed it. 1986, L. Ron Hubbard, Villainy Victorious: Mission Earth:
  2. A character from American folklore.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
John Henrys Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

John Henryism

Relateds

John Hancock

Translations (1)

de Friedrich Wilhelm (signature)