John Hancock

English

WOTD – 8 October 2016

A 1765 portrait of John Hancock (detail) by John Singleton Copley, collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

John Hancock's signature

Etymology

Named after American merchant and statesman John Hancock (1737–1793), the first person to sign the United States Declaration of Independence. According to legend, he signed his name prominently to be sure George III could read it, causing his name to become an eponym for a signature. However, other examples show that Hancock always wrote his signature this way.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dʒɒn ˈhænkɒk/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /dʒɑn ˈhænkɑk/, /dʒɑn ˈhænkɔːk/

• Audio (GA)

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• Audio (AU)

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• Hyphenation: John Han‧cock

Noun

John Hancock (plural John Hancocks)

1. (US, idiomatic) A person's signature.

   Please put your John Hancock on the dotted line to close the deal.

   • 1879, Bates Harrington, How 'tis Done: A Thorough Ventilation of the Numerous Schemes Conducted by Wandering Canvassers, together with the Various Advertising Dodges for the Swindling of the Public, Chicago, Ill.: Fidelity Pub. Co., →OCLC, page 63:

     The man is pressed for his "John Hancock" with all the persuasiveness and eloquence of a practiced operator on masculine vanity.

   • 1996, 30:38 from the start, in Space Jam, Burbank, Calif.: Warner Home Video, →ISBN:

     Can I have your auto—your John Hancock, please?

   • 2005, Dary Matera, John Dillinger: The Life and Death of America's First Celebrity Criminal, trade paperback edition, New York, N.Y.: Carroll & Graf Publishers, →ISBN, page 36:

     Audrey and crew even squeezed frail grocer Frank Morgan, the victim, into adding his John Hancock to the parole petition. The cherry was getting Hanging Judge Joe Williams to sign on as well.

   • 2013 June 18, Zachary A. Goldfarb, “Treasury Secretary Jack Lew unveils new signature after quibbles with his scribble”, in The Washington Post‎^[1]:

     [Jack] Lew is not the first Treasury secretary to change his John Hancock upon arrival at 1500 Pennsylvania Ave.

Verb

John Hancock (third-person singular simple present John Hancocks, present participle John Hancocking, simple past and past participle John Hancocked)

1. (US, transitive) To sign; to write one's signature on (something).
   • 1944 October 21, “Finally”, in The Billboard, volume 56, number 43, page 23:

     Billy Rose inked his contract with AGVA this week and the document only needs the signature of Matt Shelvey, head of the union, to put it into effect. Altho the deal was made in mid-summer, John Hancocking by both sides is coming about only now.

Related terms

• Hancock (“placename”)

See also

• John Henry

Further reading

• John Hancock (the person) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia