joe

A nice, pleasant, and respectable male. He's a good Joe, sure, but there's just no chemistry between us. My friend's a good Joe—you can trust him.

An average, unexceptional, or ordinary person, especially a boy or man. So many movies try to cater to as many people as possible, watered down for the average Joe. I like to think I'm a bit more intelligent than your average Joe.

A cup of coffee. Though the true origin is unknown, "joe" as a synonym for coffee is theorized to either be a shortening of "jamoke" (a combination of Java and Mocha, two major suppliers of coffee beans), or as a reference to it being the drink of the ordinary man (i.e., the "average joe"). Primarily heard in US, South Africa. I can't even function in the morning until I've had my first cup of joe.

A cup of coffee (where "cuppa" is a colloquial contraction of "cup of"). Though the true origin is unknown, "joe" as a synonym for coffee is theorized to either be a shortening of "jamoke" (a combination of Java and Mocha, two major suppliers of coffee beans), or as a reference to it being the drink of the ordinary man (i.e., the "average joe"). Primarily heard in US, South Africa. I can't even function in the morning until I've had my first cuppa joe.

cliché A stock slogan used as an advertisement for a restaurant or diner. Derived from the placeholder restaurant name "Joe's Diner," the phrase is often featured in works of fiction, especially as an example of such a typical advertisement. The bright neon words "Eat at Joe's" could be seen from miles away, the sole source of light on that dark, lonely desert road. It was the type of place where you would see old rundown trucks parked on the side of the road with tattered "Eat at Joe's" signs slapped on their sides.

The average, ordinary, or typical person. Primarily heard in US. The inner workings of congress might be familiar to a political science student like yourself, but to Joe Average, it is often a completely unknown process. We strive to ensure that our computers can handle the highest demands of an IT professional but still remain accessible to Joe Average.

A typical, ordinary, average person. (Though suggesting a male given the use of "Joe," it does not necessarily refer to a man.) Their security is so lax that any old Joe Bloggs could walk right up and take their equipment. For any new piece of technology to succeed in the market these days, it has to be easy for any Joe Bloggs to pick up and use.

The average man or person. Primarily heard in US. Obviously this issue is going to resonate with some special interest groups, but do you really think Joe Blow will care? We can't hire any Joe Blow as our spokesperson. We need someone recognizable, who the public already likes.

The average, ordinary, or typical citizen. (Though the term is gendered, it does not necessarily refer to a man.) You understand the way Congress works because you're studying politics, but to Joe Citizen, it is often just a complete mystery. Look, the only thing that will matter to Joe Citizen is whether or not your policies provide jobs and lower taxes.

The average, ordinary, or typical college or university student. (Though the term is gendered, it does not necessarily refer to a man.) You're interested in this stuff because you're a political science major, but Joe College doesn't care two figs about the stuff that happens in politics. It's funny to see my brother, who nearly dropped out of high school and spent so many years going against the grain, become Mr. Joe College all of a sudden.

An average guy. ("Joe Blow" is more commonly used to mean the same.) Why would they send me to some Joe Doakes who isn't even licensed as a psychologist?

Typical, ordinary, average people; the public at large. For any new piece of technology to succeed in the market these days, it has to be easy for Joe Public to pick up and use. She isn't well liked among other politicians, but Joe Public absolutely adores her.

An average person, especially a man and typically of the working class. Sometimes spelled "Joe Schmo," "Shmoe," and "Shmo." My brother's just your typical guy, a real Joe Schmoe—you can find him watching a sporting event in a bar after work pretty much any night of the week. If we let Joe Shmo decide the policies in our country, we'd still be stuck in the 1800s.

An average person, especially a man and typically of the working class. A somewhat condescending allusion to the drinking preferences of the working class. My brother's just your typical guy, a real Joe Sixpack—you can find him watching a sporting event in a bar after work pretty much any night of the week. If we let Joe Sixpack decide the policies in our country, we'd still be stuck in the 1800s.

An average person, especially a man and typically of the working class. A somewhat condescending allusion to the drinking preferences of the working class. My brother's just your typical guy, a real Joe Six-Pack—you can find him watching a sporting event in a bar after work pretty much any night of the week. If we let Joe Six-Pack decide the policies in our country, we'd still be stuck in the 1800s.

A man whose identity is unknown or being protected, as in legal proceedings. The victim is a John Doe—the paramedics didn't find any identification on him. The case was brought by a John Doe, so we don't know the true identity of the man suing us.

Used to express one's disbelief, disappointment, or grief upon learning some unfortunate truth about someone or something. A reference to the headline of a newspaper article alleging (incorrectly) that baseball player Joe Jackson had admitted to helping fix the 1919 World Series. This same phrase was later attributed (also incorrectly) to a child fan of Jackson's, who was said to have said it to Jackson outside of the courthouse before Jackson confirmed the accusation to the child and other fans. A: "You do realize that all the clothes in this store are made by children in sweatshops in third-world countries, right?" B: "Say it ain't so, Joe! But they offer such good prices, how are we supposed to resist that?" A: "I just heard that the actor you like was arrested for drug trafficking." B: "No, say it ain't so, Joe! I always looked up to him as a role model—I can't believe he would be involved with crime like that!""

A lower-middle-class male. For example, I don't think opera will appeal to Joe Six-pack; he'd prefer a rock concert. This disparaging term, first recorded in 1977, conjures up the image of a man in undershirt and construction helmet who will down all of a six-pack (six cans or bottles of beer sold in a package) in an evening.

People say Joe Public to talk about ordinary people. I don't think Joe Public would be happy to pay me for much of what I do. John Q Public trusts you.

People say Joe Schmoe or Joe Six-Pack to refer to an ordinary, average person. The networks are looking for something they can sell to Joe Schmoe who lives in a caravan in Alabama. The most crucial factor will be the attitude of Joe Six-Pack, the ordinary American consumer.

A working-class male. The six-pack in this somewhat derogatory name refers to a half-dozen bottles or cans of beer that are packaged together, to be bought as a unit, and supposedly a workingman’s beverage of choice. Six-pack came into use in the early 1950s, and Joe Six-Pack was first recorded in 1970 and quickly proliferated. Reporter Martin F. Nolan used it in an article about Joe Moakley’s political campaign against Louise Day Hicks for Congress: “Moakley plans to make Mrs. Hicks the major issue in the campaign, talking about issues in the media and shouting in Joe Six-Pack’s ear to wake up and face the unsimplistic facts of life (Boston Globe, August 28, 1970). The Globe headline was “After the Soul of Joe Six-Pack.” See also John Doe.

The average person. This appellation actually dates from the thirteenth century, when it was used in legal documents to disguise the identity of witnesses; the tenant plaintiff was called John Doe and the landlord defendant Richard Roe. In the nineteenth century the name acquired the present meaning of ordinary person. A book, The O’Hara Family (1825), included “Tales, Containing . . . John Doe,” and almost a century later a movie starring Gary Cooper was entitled Meet John Doe (1941). Similar appellations include Joe Blow, first recorded in 1867; Joe Doakes, from the 1920s; and John Q. Public, coined by the writer William Allen White in 1937. John Doe has outlived them all.

An ordinary person. That phrase meant just an average guy—any old Joe (“Joe Doakes” was a variation). It was the predecessor of “Joe Sixpack.” In fact, “Joe” was such a common first name (or nickname) that it became a slang word for coffee, which was also found everywhere.

A typical male college student. The phrase came on the scene in the 1930s, usually applied approvingly, but occasionally as a label for a student whom the academic life sheltered from having to hold down a “real job” in the “real world.”

Your admitting your mistake would break my heart. “Shoeless” Joe Jackson was involved in the “Black Sox” baseball scandal in which eight Chicago White Sox players were accused of fixing the 1919 World Series. Legend has it that as Jackson was leaving the courthouse, a young fan tugged on his sleeve and, in a voice full of emotion, said, “Say it ain't so, Joe.” When Jackson confirmed the accusation, the lad realized that his idol had feet of clay.