This week’s theme
American eponyms

This week’s words
bork
John Hancock
Benedict Arnold
McCarthyism
gerrymander

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(jon HAN-kok)

MEANING:

noun: A person’s signature.

ETYMOLOGY:

After John Hancock (1737-1793), American politician and revolutionary leader. He was president of the Continental Congress (1775-1777) and the first to sign the Declaration of Independence. His large flamboyant signature on the document made his name synonymous with one’s signature. Earliest documented use: 1834.

USAGE:

“The Bill was smuggled through the House of Assembly before being bulldozed through the Senate until it landed on President Mugabe for his John Hancock.”
Cyril Zenda; Will Mugabe Come to Rescue?; The Financial Gazette (Harare, Zimbabwe); Oct 27, 2016.

See more usage examples of John Hancock in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: