Who is a 'John-a-Nokes'?
'John-a-Nokes' is an old English name for a simpleton, used as a stock name in legal cases and comic tales. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), human-proofread transcription on English Wikisource records: “[or Noakes (1 syl.)] A simpleton. "John-a-Nokes was driving a cart toward Croydon, and by the way fell asleepe therein. Meane time a good fellow came by and stole away his two horses. [John] awakening and missing them, said, 'Either I am John-a-Nokes or I am not John-a-Nokes. If I am John-a-Nokes, then I have lost two horses; and if I am not John-a-Nokes, then I have found a cart.'"— Copley: Wits, Fits, and Fancies (1614).”
Origin
- Verbatim from Brewer's (1898): [or Noakes (1 syl.)] A simpleton. "John-a-Nokes was driving a cart toward Croydon, and by the way fell asleepe therein. Meane time a good fellow came by and stole away his two horses. [John] awakening and missing them, said, 'Either I am John-a-Nokes or I am not John-a-Nokes. If I am John-a-Nokes, then I have lost two horses; and if I am not John-a-Nokes, then I have found a cart.'"— Copley: Wits, Fits, and Fancies (1614).
How to use it
- Modern usage: 'John-a-Nokes' is an old English name for a simpleton, used as a stock name in legal cases and comic tales.
- When quoting the origin, cite Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) — this is a 19th-century record, not a modern etymology.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18
- Definitions and origins are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), with modern usage notes clearly marked.