John

Question

john - a prostitute's client.

Does the word carry a negative connotation? Is it a coincidence that it is also used to mean 'toilet' in NAmE? Or does this meaning derive from John as a guy's name?

Thanks.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

anonymousjohn - a prostitute's client. Does the word carry a negative connotation?

Do prostitutes carry a negative connotation?

anonymousIs it a coincidence that it is also used to mean 'toilet' in NAmE?

Yes. "John" is the generic man's name (Jack, too). It has been used for various things over the centuries, and you have mentioned two of them. The prostitute's john is likely merely the generic man, since we are all the same to them as regards business, and we probably assume the alias of "John" more often than not to preserve our anonymity.

The etymology of the toilet john is unknown, but the existence of the obsolete "cuz-john" is suggestive, a euphemism for the toilet having its beginnings in phrases like "visit Cousin John's house", along the lines of the current "go shake hands with the Governor" or "see a man about a horse".

Fritz8 · Answer

I was wondering if 'john' could be derived from the French word 'gens' meaning people. The pronunciation is almost identical.

John

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