John Q. Public

"Joe Public" redirects here. For other uses, see Joe Public (disambiguation).

File:Ssi card.gif

The name John Q. Public is used on a sample Social Security card

John Q. Public is a generic name in the United States to denote a hypothetical member of society deemed a "common man." He is presumed to have no strong political or social biases relevant to whatever topic is at hand, and to represent the randomly selected "man on the street." The equivalent terms are John Q. Citizen and John Q. Taxpayer. Female equivalents include Jane Q. Public, or Jane Q. Citizen, Jane Q. Taxpayer, Jane Winecooler, and Ann Yone (from "anyone"). Roughly equivalent are Joe Six-pack, Joe Blow, and Joe Schmoe, implying a lower-class citizen (from the Yiddish schmo: simpleton or possibly Hebrew sh'mo: (what's)-his-name). Similar terms for the common family can be Mr. & Mrs. John Q. Public, Mr. & Mrs. John Q. Citizen, or Mr. & Mrs. John Q. Taxpayer

The equivalent in the United Kingdom is Joe (or Jane) Public, Joe Bloggs, or Tommy Atkins. The historical and legal equivalent is The man on the Clapham omnibus, although this is a generic description rather than a generic name.

Another generic description is the blue-singlet-wearing Aussie (Australian)—the singlet being a kind of shirt known to Americans as a "tank top".

In Internet culture, the generic name of choice is J. Random ______, where the surname is used to refer to a job or role, as in J. Random Hacker. This formation is thought to be taken from the name of J. Presper Eckert, builder of one of the first digital computers.

See also

• John Doe
• Joe Bloggs (British variant)
• John Q (film)
• The Joe Schmo Show
• Kadigan

Your continued donations keep Wikipedia running! John Q. Public From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search "Joe Public" redirects here. For other uses, see Joe Public (disambiguation).

The name John Q. Public is used on a sample Social Security cardJohn Q. Public is a generic name in the United States to denote a hypothetical member of society deemed a "common man." He is presumed to have no strong political or social biases relevant to whatever topic is at hand, and to represent the randomly selected "man on the street." The equivalent terms are John Q. Citizen and John Q. Taxpayer. Female equivalents include Jane Q. Public, or Jane Q. Citizen, Jane Q. Taxpayer, Jane Winecooler, and Ann Yone (from "anyone"). Roughly equivalent are Joe Six-pack, Joe Blow, and Joe Schmoe, implying a lower-class citizen (from the Yiddish schmo: simpleton or possibly Hebrew sh'mo: (what's)-his-name). Similar terms for the common family can be Mr. & Mrs. John Q. Public, Mr. & Mrs. John Q. Citizen, or Mr. & Mrs. John Q. Taxpayer

The equivalent in the United Kingdom is Joe (or Jane) Public, Joe Bloggs, or Tommy Atkins. The historical and legal equivalent is The man on the Clapham omnibus, although this is a generic description rather than a generic name.

Another generic description is the blue-singlet-wearing Aussie (Australian)—the singlet being a kind of shirt known to Americans as a "tank top".

In Internet culture, the generic name of choice is J. Random ______, where the surname is used to refer to a job or role, as in J. Random Hacker. This formation is thought to be taken from the name of J. Presper Eckert, builder of one of the first digital computers.

[edit] See also John Doe Joe Bloggs (British variant) John Q (film) The Joe Schmo Show Kadigan THE MAGISTRATE THE KING THE KNIGHT THE REX THE CZAR THE TSAR THE IMPERIUM THE IMPERIAL PRESIDENT THE PRIME MINISTER THE SUPREME LORD SENATOR THE DUKE THE EARL THE PRINCE THE CEO THE FATHER THE GOVERNOR THE MAYOR THE SIR THE AUTHOR THE HOLY SEE THE HOLY COW THE ECENTRIC JAMES HENRY LEDDY THE EAST AND WEST MINISTER 078 54 5291 JOHN Q PUBLIC ILLUSTRATORS CURTESTY TITLES ALL EMAILS AND ESTATE HIGH TRESON TO TAMPER WITH CHANGES DEFACTO

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Q._Public" Category: Collective pseudonyms

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