Johnny Foreigner

English

Etymology

UK late-20th century. The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang says "first recorded in 1990 but in use earlier". From John or Johnny as a personified idea. Compare Johnny Canuck (“Canadian”), Johnny Crapaud (“Frenchman”), Johnny Reb (“Confederate American”).

Proper noun

Johnny Foreigner

1. (UK, informal, derogatory) Foreigners collectively; people who are not British.
   • 1983, Richard Ingrams, John Wells, Private Eye - Issues 550-575‎^[1], page 70:

     No wonder Johnny Foreigner lays in supplies of the stale bread rolls whenever he appears over the horizon.

   • 1984 December 3, John Torode, “Why must training for tomorrow be a dead turn-off?”, in The Guardian, page 18:

     Mr. King's message was that Johnny Foreigner does it better than us. In Germany, in Japan and in the United States, these bottlenecks just do not happen.

   • 1999, James Chapman, Licence to thrill: a cultural history of the James Bond films:

     A time when Johnny Foreigner knew his place. A time when beautiful women from other countries existed primarily to be seduced...

   • 2004, Charles Godfrey-Faussett, Footprint England:

     ...the constant threat of spontaneous outbreaks of singing on Centre Court by pop has-beens and the occasional ungentlemanly antics of Johnny Foreigner...

Synonyms

• alien, outlander, peregrine; see also Thesaurus:foreigner