John Q. Public

20th century. In use by 1938. Compare also John Doe. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

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John Q. Public (uncountable)

1. (idiomatic) A generic individual; some hypothetical average or ordinary citizen.

   Synonyms: Joe Average, Joe Bloggs, Joe Blow, Joe Doakes, Joe Public, Joe Q. Public, J. Random User, man on the street

   Coordinate terms: John Doe, Jane Doe; Richard Roe, Jane Roe

   Near-synonyms: everyman; Tom, Dick or Harry; Joe Sixpack

   Even careful safety precautions in the factory do not make it a good place for John Q. Public to wander unattended.

• John Q. Law

• Joe Schmoe

• “John Q. Public n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present