Johnny-one-note en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Derives from the show tune Johnny One Note, from the Rodgers and Hart musical Babes in Arms (1937), in which the lyrics tell a story of a male vocalist named Johnny who sang with a band and could sing only one note, but sang that note extremely well.
Meanings
- (Canada, US, idiomatic) A person (or organization) who often expresses a strong opinion or viewpoint on a single subject or a few particular subjects.
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(Canada, US, idiomatic) An opinion or viewpoint on a single subject or a few particular subjects which is frequently expressed by a person or organization.
Whether his boss (Hearst) had told him to get off his Johnny-one-note of hate toward labor leaders, foreigners and New Dealers, or whether Pegler had decided all by himself to change his tune, no one knew.
1945 July 9, “The Press: Confessions of a Grouch”, in Time, volume 46, number 1, archived from the original on 06 Aug 2013:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnny One-note | alternative | lexicographic | |
| Johnny one note | alternative | lexicographic | |
| Johnny-one-notes | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| Johnny One Note | alternative | lexicographic | |
| Johnny one-note | alternative | lexicographic |
Relateds
wikipedia: Rodgers and Hart · wikipedia: Babes in Arms · wikipedia: Johnny One Note