Honest John
Americannoun
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Informal.
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an honest, sincere man.
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a man so trusting and innocent that he may be easily cheated or deceived.
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a surface-to-surface, single-stage U.S. artillery rocket.
Etymology
Origin of Honest John
First recorded in 1930–35
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The way I got Def Jam is I was friends with a comic named Honest John, who was on BET's "ComicView."
From Salon • Mar. 23, 2023
That differs from the unconvincing digital form that organic creatures like Jiminy, Honest John, a bipedal fox; or Geppetto’s cat Figaro assume through 21st century technology.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 8, 2022
His opponent was a white northerner called, ironically, Honest John Patterson.
From Slate • Jan. 31, 2018
They race on Wednesday at Newbury, above, where Honest John rates the best bet at the track.
From The Guardian • Dec. 18, 2012
“Yes, Honest John Holman,” she sneered, without noticing his resentment.
From Shadow Mountain by Coolidge, Dane
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.