# What is a 'Joe Miller'?

A 'Joe Miller' is a stale joke — named after a published compilation of jokes issued under that nom de plume. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), human-proofread transcription on English Wikisource records: “Joe or a Joe Miller. A stale joke; so called from the compilation of jokes under that nom de plume . ( See Miller .)”

## What it means

- Verbatim from Brewer's (1898): Joe or a Joe Miller. A stale joke; so called from the compilation of jokes under that nom de plume . ( See Miller .)

## Action steps

1. Modern usage: A 'Joe Miller' is a stale joke — named after a published compilation of jokes issued under that nom de plume.
2. When quoting the origin, cite Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) — this is a 19th-century record, not a modern etymology.

## Sources

- [Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) — Wikisource proofread text](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Brewer%27s_Dictionary_of_Phrase_and_Fable/Joe_or_a_Joe_Miller)

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Published: 2026-07-18T14:09:18.640416+00:00
Modified: 2026-07-18T14:34:10.39672+00:00
Last verified: 2026-07-18
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