John Henry

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noun, plural John Henries for 1.

Informal. a person's signature.

U.S. Folklore. a legendary Black man of exceptional strength and stamina.

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Origin of John Henry

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15; from the proper name

Words nearby John Henry

John Doe, Jane Doe, John Dory, Johne's disease, John F. Kennedy International Airport, John Hancock, John Henry, John Hop, John I, John II, John III, johnin

How to use John Henry in a sentence

A few years back, designer John Galliano was fined by the government for sharing just such anti-semitic sentiments in public.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
NEW ORLEANS — John Boehner was reelected House Speaker yesterday by his Republican colleagues despite some dissenting members.
The Price of Steve Scalise’s Silence|Jason Berry|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And similar shards of enthusiasm-killing kryptonite are lodged in John Kasich, Mike Pence and Ted Cruz.
Why This Liberal Hearts Huckabee|Sally Kohn|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
As it currently stands, the Via Dolorosa follows the account given in the Gospel of John.
Oops! Jesus’ Last Steps Are in the Wrong Place|Candida Moss|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST

By contrast, John McCain, the eventual GOP nominee, had raised approximately $12.7 million in the first quarter of 2007 alone.
Can Huckabee Convert the GOP’s Moneymen?|Lloyd Green|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
After all, may not even John Burns be human; may not Mr. Chamberlain himself have a heart that can feel for another?
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
Hamo in alluding to the early cultivation of tobacco by the colony, says, that John Rolfe was the pioneer tobacco planter.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Henry Rowley Bishop, a noted English music composer, died, aged 68.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
John Wilson, a celebrated landscape and marine painter, died at Folkstone, aged 81.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
John Thornton Kirkland, president of Harvard university, died, aged 70.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell

Cultural definitions for John Henry

“John Henry”

An American folksong (see folk music) about the “steel-driving man” John Henry. It contains these lines:

John Henry said to his captain,
“A man ain't nothin' but a man,
And before I'd let your steam drill beat me down,
I'd die with the hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord!
I'd die with the hammer in my hand.”