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Joe Shmoe
Joe Shmoe (also spelled Joe Schmoe and Joe Schmo), meaning "Joe Anybody", or no one in particular, is a commonly used fictional name in American English. Adding a "Shm" to the beginning of a word is meant to diminish, negate, or dismiss an argument (for instance, "Rain, shmain, we've got a game to play"). It can also indicate that the speaker is being ironic or sarcastic. This process was adapted in English from the use of the "schm" prefix in Yiddish to dismiss something; as in, "sale, schmale" (thus denying that the sale is worthwhile). While " schmo" ("schmoo", "schmoe") is thought by some linguists to be a clipping of Yiddish שמוק "schmuck", that derivation is disputed. See also * Average Joe * Joe Bloggs * John Doe * John Q. Public * Man on the street *Man on the Clapham omnibus *Placeholder name Placeholder names are intentionally overly generic and ambiguous terms referring to things, places, or people, the names of which or of whom do not actually exist; are ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American English
American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken language in the United States and, since 2025, the official language of the United States. It is also an official language in 32 of the 50 U.S. states and the ''de facto'' common language used in government, education, and commerce in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and in all territories except Puerto Rico. Since the late 20th century, American English has become the most influential form of English worldwide. Varieties of American English include many patterns of pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and particularly spelling that are unified nationwide but distinct from other forms of English around the world. Any North American English, American or Canadian accent perceived as lacking noticeably local, ethnic, or cultural markedness ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shm-reduplication
Shm-reduplication is a form of reduplication originating in Yiddish in which the original word or its first syllable (the base) is repeated with the copy (the reduplicant) beginning with the duplifix shm- (sometimes schm-), pronounced . The construction is generally used to indicate irony, sarcasm, derision, skepticism, or lack of interest with respect to comments about the discussed object. In general, the new combination is used as an interjection. Examples Using a noun Shm-reduplication is often used with a noun, as a response to a previously-made statement to express the viewer's doubts (eg. "He's just a baby!", ", he's five years old!") or lack of interest ("What a sale!", "Sale, , there's nothing I would want.") Used as an adjective When used as an adjective, the reduplicated combination can belong to the same syntactical category as the original. It can be used as an intensifier, as in "Whenever we go to a restaurant, we feel like James Bond." - the speaker is implyin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sarcasm
Sarcasm is the caustic use of words, often in a humorous way, to mock someone or something. Sarcasm may employ ambivalence, although it is not necessarily ironic. Most noticeable in spoken word, sarcasm is mainly distinguished by the inflection with which it is spoken or, with an undercurrent of irony, by the extreme disproportion of the comment to the situation, and is largely context-dependent. Etymology The word comes from the Ancient Greek σαρκασμός (''sarkasmós'') which is taken from σαρκάζειν (''sarkázein'') meaning "to tear flesh, bite the lip in rage, sneer".Oxford English Dictionary It is first recorded in English in 1579, in an annotation to '' The Shepheardes Calender'' by Edmund Spenser: However, the word ''sarcastic'', meaning "Characterized by or involving sarcasm; given to the use of sarcasm; bitterly cutting or caustic", does not appear until 1695. Usage In its entry on irony, Dictionary.com describes sarcasm thus: In sarcasm, rid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yiddish Language
Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with many elements taken from Hebrew language, Hebrew (notably Mishnaic Hebrew, Mishnaic) and to some extent Aramaic. Most varieties of Yiddish include elements of Slavic languages and the vocabulary contains traces of Romance languages.Aram Yardumian"A Tale of Two Hypotheses: Genetics and the Ethnogenesis of Ashkenazi Jewry".University of Pennsylvania. 2013. Yiddish has traditionally been written using the Hebrew alphabet. Prior to World War II, there were 11–13 million speakers. 85% of the approximately 6 million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust were Yiddish speakers,Solomon Birnbaum, ''Grammatik der jiddischen Sprache'' (4., erg. Aufl., Hamburg: Buske, 1984), p. 3. leading to a massive decline in the use of the language. Jewish ass ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Schmo
Schmuck, or shmuck, is a pejorative term meaning one who is stupid or foolish, or an obnoxious, contemptible or detestable person. The word came into the English language from Yiddish (, ''shmok''), where it has similar pejorative meanings, but where its literal meaning is a vulgar term for a penis. Etymology The Yiddish word ''shmok'' probably derives from Old Polish '' smok'' "grass snake, dragon". It is unrelated to the German word ''Schmuck'' ('jewelry'), which derives from the Middle High German word 'smucken', meaning 'nestle up'. Euphemisms Because of its generally being considered a vulgarity, the word is often euphemized as ''schmoe'', which was the source of Al Capp's cartoon strip creature the shmoo.Rosten, Leo. ''The Joys of Yiddish''. New York, Pocket Books, 1968. pp. 360-362 Other variants include ''schmo'' and ''shmo''. In Jewish-American culture Leo Rosten writes in ''The Joys of Yiddish'' that schmuck is commonly viewed among Jews as an obscene word that sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Average Joe
The terms average Joe, ordinary Joe, regular Joe, Joe Sixpack, Joe Lunchbucket, Joe Snuffy, Joe Blow, Joe Schmoe (for males), and ordinary Jane, average Jane, and plain Jane (for females), are used primarily in North America to refer to a completely average person, typically an average American. It can be used both to give the image of a hypothetical "completely average person" or to describe an existing person. Parallel terms in other languages for local equivalents exist worldwide. Historically, there have been several attempts at answering who exactly is the average American. For example, the ''Saturday Evening Post'' and ''The Washington Post'' have attempted to answer the question. Both articles agreed that the average American is a white Christian female, who is part of a couple, and is politically independent. Admittedly, there are problems with this answer. In 2001, for example, no single household arrangement constituted more than 30% of total households. Married couple ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe Bloggs
"Joe Bloggs" or "Fred Bloggs" are placeholder names used primarily in the United Kingdom to represent an average man. The surnames ''Blogg/Bloggs/Bloke,'' is believed to have been derived from the East Anglian region of Britain, Norfolk or Suffolk, deriving from ''bloc'', "pale, fair, shining". In The Princeton Review standardised test preparation courses, "Joe Bloggs" represents the average test-taker, and students are trained to identify the "Joe Bloggs answer", or the choice which seems right but may be misleading on harder questions. "Joe Bloggs" was a brand name for a clothing range, especially baggy jeans, which was closely associated with the Madchester Madchester was a musical and cultural scene that emerged in the English city of Manchester during the late 1980s, closely associated with the indie dance movement. Indie dance (also referred to as indie rave) blended indie rock with elements o ... scene of the 1990s. See also * List of placeholder names * Blogg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Doe
John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used in the British, Canadian, and American legal systems, when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law enforcement in the United States, such names are often used to refer to a corpse whose identity is unknown or cannot be confirmed. These names are also often used to refer to a hypothetical " everyman" in other contexts, like John Q. Public or "Joe Public". There are many variants to the above names, including John (or Richard)/Jane Roe, John/Jane Smith, John/Jane Bloggs, and Johnie/Janie Doe or just Baby Doe for children. A. N. Other is also a placeholder name, mainly used in the United Kingdomwhich is gender neutralalongside Joe/Jo Bloggs and the now occasional use of the "John" and "Jane Doe" names. In criminal investigation In other English-speaking countries, unique placeholder names, numbers or codenames have become more often use ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Q
''John Q.'' is a 2002 American crime drama film directed by Nick Cassavetes, and written by James Kearns. It stars Denzel Washington as the title character, a man who takes a hospital emergency room hostage in order for his son to receive a heart transplant. Robert Duvall, James Woods, Anne Heche, Kimberly Elise, and Ray Liotta appear in supporting roles. The film was shot in Toronto, Hamilton, Ontario, and Canmore, Alberta, although the story takes place in Chicago. Shooting took place from August 8 to November 3, 2000, and the film was released on February 15, 2002, by New Line Cinema. It received generally negative reviews from critics, but was a commercial success, grossing $102 million on a $36 million budget. Plot A young woman in a white BMW 5 Series drives recklessly on a mountainous winding road; she collides with a truck and is killed instantly. Weeks earlier in Chicago, factory worker John Quincy Archibald and his wife Denise rush their young son Michae ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vox Populi
( ) is a Latin phrase (originally ''Vox populi, vox Dei'' – "The voice of the people is the voice of God") that literally means "voice of the people." It is used in English in the meaning "the opinion of the majority of the people." In journalism, vox pop or man on the street refers to short interviews with members of the public. Man on the street American television personality Steve Allen as the host of ''The Tonight Show'' further developed the "man on the street" interviews and audience-participation comedy breaks that have become commonplace on late-night TV. Usually the interviewees are shown in public places, and supposed to be giving spontaneous opinions in a chance encounter – unrehearsed persons, not selected in any way. As such, journalists almost always refer to them as the abbreviated ''vox pop''. In U.S. broadcast journalism, it is often referred to as a man on the street interview or MOTS. The results of such an interview are unpredictable at best, and ther ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Man On The Clapham Omnibus
The man on the Clapham omnibus is a hypothetical ordinary and reasonable person, used by the courts in English law where it is necessary to decide whether a party has acted as a reasonable person would – for example, in a tort, civil action for negligence. The character is a reasonably educated, intelligent but nondescript person, against whom the defendant's conduct can be measured. The term was introduced into English law during the Victorian era, and is still an important concept in British law. It is also used in other Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth common law jurisdictions, sometimes with suitable modifications to the phrase as an aid to local comprehension. The route of the original "Clapham Horsebus, omnibus" is unknown but London Buses route 88, which terminates at Omnibus Theatre, was briefly branded as "the Clapham Omnibus" in the 1990s and is sometimes associated with the term. History The phrase was reportedly first put to legal use in a judgment by Sir Rich ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
