joe
nounEtymology From the proper name Joe.
1
Informal A male; a guy; a fellow.
- I'm just an ordinary joe.
- Name me a joe in a bad country ... who doesn't fall for a pretty face if she's on his side against the world.2001, Tod Hoffman, Le Carré's Landscape, page 193:
- Soviet troops were permitted to enter the American sector, where they could easily capture and torture an agent to confirm the existence of a Joe house, then cripple American espionage efforts by kidnapping a nest of spies in one fell swoop.2004, Richard W. Cutler, Counterspy, page 96:
2 more examples
- Then Hapgood turned him into a joe — that is, he works for the British.2009, John Fleming, Stoppard's Theatre: Finding Order amid Chaos, page 178:
- Lamb didn't look any different, was still a soft fat rude bastard, still dressed like he'd been thrown through a charity shop window, but Jesus, River thought—Lamb was a joe.2010, Mick Herron, Slow Horses, page 215:
3
Historical Synonym of johannes (“An old Portuguese gold coin bearing a figure of John V of Portugal.”).
- I have seen doubloons before now in my voyagings; your doubloons of old Spain, your doubloons of Peru, your doubloons of Chili, your doubloons of Bolivia, your doubloons of Popayan; with plenty of gold moidores and pistoles, and joes, and half joes, and quarter joes.1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “Chapter XCIX. The Doubloon”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 481:
- Guineas, joes, half joes, doubloons, and pistoles of various origin constituted the gold currency, while the silver was mostly the Spanish American dollar and its fractions: the half, quarter, eighth, and sixteenth, with the pistareen and half pistareen.1861, “United States Mint”, “Chapter I. Establishment of Mint—Standard of Coins—Laws Regulating Coinage—Progress of Coinage—Precious Metals in the Country”, in Eighty Years’ Progress of the United States: […], volume I, New York: […]. Worcester, Mass.: L. Stebbins, page 213, column 1:
1 more example
- In the olden time the currency, you know, was a l^([sic]) in gold and silver, joes, half-joes (Johannes), pistoles, moidores, doubloons, pistareens, ninepences (12+¹⁄₂ cents), and fourpence-half-pennies (6+¹⁄₄ cents) or “fippenny-bits.”1863 August, The Historical Magazine, and Notes and Queries Concerning the Antiquities, History and Biography of America, volume VII, number 8, New York: Charles B. Richardson, […]. London: Trübner & Co., page 245, column 2:
- Derived terms
- average joe, cup o' joe, cuppa joe, dwarf joe-pye weed, green joe-pye weed, half joe, joe blake, joe job, joe-pye weed, mumbly joe, sloppy joe