johnny

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See also: Johnny

English

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Etymology

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Alternative letter-case form of Johnny, diminutive of John.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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johnny (plural johnnies)

  1. (UK, Ireland, slang) A condom.
  2. (New Zealand, derogatory) An inexperienced new worker, usually an immigrant.
    • 1913, Katherine Mansfield, Millie:
      Willie Cox said they found him in the barn, shot bang through the head, and the young English johnny who'd been on the station learning farming - disappeared.
  3. (New England) A hospital gown: a gown with a back opening closed with snaps or ties, worn by hospital patients.
    • 1991, Stephen King, Needful Things:
      His hand shook. A little water spilled down the front of the hospital johnny Sean wore.
  4. (US, slang, dated) Synonym of john: a toilet, lavatory, outhouse, or chamber pot.
  5. (Ireland, slang, archaic) A half-glass of whisky.
    • 1867, William Dool Killen, Memoir of John Edgar, page 108:
      [H]e declared, like a real Irishman, that 'if he were a living man when he died, he would not give a single johnny of whisky either at his wake or his funeral.'

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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See also

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References

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  • (half-glass of whisky): John Camden Hotten (1873) The Slang Dictionary