John, noun

Origin:
British EnglishShow more Perhaps transferred use of British English John a servant or underling.
obsolescent, offensive
Jim.
1894 E. Glanville Fair Colonist 76‘What is your name, John?’ — all black men being Johns when they are not Boys.
1948 O. Walker Kaffirs Are Lively 27Not all of them are strictly black, round-headed and answering to the generic names of ‘John’, ‘Mary’, ‘Jim’ or ‘Annie’.
1951 Natal Mercury 11 Apr. 8 (letter)So far as the expression ‘John’ goes, what else could be nicer or more friendly than ‘What can I do for you, John?’ when serving a Native from behind a counter when you do not know his name. Would Mr Jill say to him, What can I do for you, Sir? as if he were a European? It is also incorrect to say that these two expressions [‘John’ and ‘boy’] are used on Africans only: they are used on Indians also, in fact with any non-European.
1951 J.J. Mkwanazi in Natal Mercury 20 Apr. 10 (letter)I feel that when a person called me John, Jim, Jack, etc., while my name is not so, it hurts me a lot because such names are only used to Non-Europeans.
a1958 K.M.C. Motsisi in M. Mutloatse Casey & Co. (1978) 107‘Hello, John.’...I answered: ‘Just for the record, my name is Herbert...You can call me John. Whites call every darkie “John”...But..for the record, my name is Herbert.’
1968 J. Lelyveld in Cole & Flaherty House of Bondage 15A large proportion of whites don’t trouble themselves to call their servants by their own names. Sometimes they use a common name like John whether it belongs to the man or not.
1973 Star 3 Nov.‘John’ seemed a good enough name to call a Black guy if you wanted to draw his attention.
1977 Weekend World 31 July C1None of these terms has ever found favour with blacks...The days when we could be called ‘John’, ‘Boy’, ‘Meid’, and so on are over.
1980 A. Fugard Tsotsi 64The old woman with the white hair and the fat dog: ‘John my poor boy!’ ‘Morris Medem.’ ‘Johnny poor boy, what happened to your legs?’ ‘Morris Medem. Morris Tshabalala.’
1982 Staffrider Vol.4 No.4, 14I don’t even know his real name. I just call him John because I know they all like being called John.
Jim.
Derivatives:
Hence (nonce) John  transitive verb, to address (someone) as ‘John’.
1965 E. Mphahlele Down Second Ave 152I was ‘Jimmed’ and ‘boy-ed’ and ‘John-ed’ by whites.
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18941982

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John, v.

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obsolete or obsolescent
derogatory or offensive
Johannesburger, nounn.John Brown, noun phrasen. phr.
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