John Hancock
7
4.5
- noun
- /dʒɑn ˈhæŋkɒk/
- Informal
:
firma
- Please sign here with your John Hancock to make it official.
- need your John Hancock
- put your John Hancock
- Just need your John Hancock
Examples
-
Could I have your John Hancock here to finalize the agreement?
-
Will you sign here, John Hancock?
Academic text (2006) -
I need your John Hancock on these papers.
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You just give me your John Hancock.
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So if I can just... get your John Hancock... we'll get underway.
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Mr. Callahan, I need your John Hancock on these reports.
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If I could just get your John Hancock, you're on your way.
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Your old John Hancock on there is just a formality, but ..
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Your John Hancock, please?
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I just need your John Hancock on this contract before we proceed.
Synonyms
288
1.2
A person's name written by hand to show who they are or that they agree
199
3.3
A famous person's signature given to a fan as a keepsake
1
7.8
A person's signature used as a joke
How Legible
Surface Forms
Morphology
John + Hancock
This is an eponymic/metonymic use referring to the famous signer John Hancock, so the meaning 'a person's signature' depends on cultural/historical knowledge rather than the literal meanings of the two name constituents. A B1 learner who only knows the words 'John' and 'Hancock' would not be able to derive the sense from their lexical meanings, making the expression opaque.
Etymology
John Hancock comes from the very large, clear signature of the American leader John Hancock on the Declaration of Independence. His name stood out on that famous paper. So people began to use John Hancock to mean a person's 'signature', and we say 'put your John Hancock' when we ask someone to sign.