Gee, What does "Johnny on the Spot" mean?

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harrisonm

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LMAO.
We host an annual Christmas dinner for the family across the street. They have three kids we have watched grow up, and they are all so nice. Anyway, this year we went to On the Border. I whispered to the young waitress that it was a special occasion, and I would really appreciate it if she was Johnny on the Spot for us. She said "What does that mean?" I explained and after laughing, she did an amazing job for us. Our friends wondered what I had said to her, so I told them. Both parents (around 40) and all three kids (13, 16 and 17) had no idea what Johnny on the Spot meant. The kids thought it was like a portable john. We all had a good laugh over that..
 
:) Good thing you didn't mention 'big wigs'. Its been a couple hundred years since some men wore powdered wigs as a class distinction and a larger wig denoted one's higher social status. Yet we still use that term and all our family including great grandson know exactly what we mean by it.

Next time you see them, ask them what a face bowl is. Or a chamber pot.

Best regards,

Harry
 
I saw a movie called "Johnny on the G-Spot" but I suspect that means something different.
 
"rule of thumb"......"the whole nine yards"......I love the origination of old sayings. I do not use "rule of thumb" anymore, but I am amused when I hear a millenial use it. Very interesting stuff.
 
Knew it, used it,

From the web...
Johnny-on-the-spot describes a person who is close at hand and readily available at all times. Interestingly, the term Johnny-on-the-spot can be traced to a newspaper article published by the New York Sun in 1896, extolling the phrase as a new idiom. This article maintains that the term Johnny-on-the-spot is derived from the phrase “Johnny is always on the spot when wanted.” In this case, Johnny is a generic term for a person. Note that the Oxford English Dictionary prefers the hyphenated form, Johnny-on-the-spot, while other dictionaries render the phrase without hyphens as in Johnny on the spot. Further note that in all cases the noun Johnny is capitalized as it is a proper name.

Johnny-on-the-spot Idiom Definition – Grammarist


Alan
 
"rule of thumb"......"the whole nine yards"......I love the origination of old sayings. I do not use "rule of thumb" anymore, but I am amused when I hear a millenial use it. Very interesting stuff.

According to Hoyle , you might be right !!
 
"rule of thumb"......"the whole nine yards"......I love the origination of old sayings. I do not use "rule of thumb" anymore, but I am amused when I hear a millenial use it. Very interesting stuff.
Just yesterday I learned were "stick a sock in it" came from. That was to lower the volume of earliest record players.
 
When I was a kid in grammar school (mid-'50s), our 2nd grade teacher remarked that if someone did a certain thing (can't remember now just what)...... They would find themselves 'up the creek without a paddle'.

Well I thought about that for a moment and it just didn't make sense to me, so I raised my hand and asked her...... 'Why would that be a problem? If they want to be up the creek, they are already there. And if they want to be down the creek, all they need to do is float downstream.'

Yep...... I was that kid. She thought about it a couple of seconds and then she came over to my desk and whacked my knuckles with the yard stick she carried with her in case she saw anyone talking in class or writing with their left hand. Told me not to be a smart arse. :)

Thanks for the memories,

Harry
 
When I was a kid in grammar school (mid-'50s), our 2nd grade teacher remarked that if someone did a certain thing (can't remember now just what)...... They would find themselves 'up the creek without a paddle'.

Well I thought about that for a moment and it just didn't make sense to me, so I raised my hand and asked her...... 'Why would that be a problem? If they want to be up the creek, they are already there. And if they want to be down the creek, all they need to do is float downstream.'

Yep...... I was that kid. She thought about it a couple of seconds and then she came over to my desk and whacked my knuckles with the yard stick she carried with her in case she saw anyone talking in class or writing with their left hand. Told me not to be a smart arse. :)

Thanks for the memories,

Harry
"up the creek without a paddle". Only way to go is down and without paddle that serves as steering and brake. That's my take on it.
 
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