Joe Bloggs...

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... someone in the office just used this as a name for an everyman/John Doe type character... where does it come from?

― We Buy a Hammer For Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 15 December 2005 12:27 (twenty years ago)

The denims.

― Rumpie (lil drummer girl parumpumpumpu), Thursday, 15 December 2005 12:28 (twenty years ago)

A quick Google doesn't tell me where it comes from. Have you never heard it before, Dada?

― Falling down the stairs again (noodle vague), Thursday, 15 December 2005 12:32 (twenty years ago)

Oh of course, but not for a long time, seems quite an old fashioned expression to me

― We Buy a Hammer For Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 15 December 2005 12:33 (twenty years ago)

... also, it's just odd. No-one is actually called Bloggs are they? Maybe in Dickens they are...

― We Buy a Hammer For Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 15 December 2005 12:34 (twenty years ago)

I think it was a reasonably common surname at some point.

― Falling down the stairs again (noodle vague), Thursday, 15 December 2005 12:34 (twenty years ago)

I'm guessing it's a corruption of Joe Blow.

― jz, Thursday, 15 December 2005 12:36 (twenty years ago)

As common as Smith? Or Jones?

― Rumpie (lil drummer girl parumpumpumpu), Thursday, 15 December 2005 12:36 (twenty years ago)

... or could it be the other way round?

― We Buy a Hammer For Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 15 December 2005 12:37 (twenty years ago)

... ha ha, that was an xpost but it works either way!

― We Buy a Hammer For Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 15 December 2005 12:37 (twenty years ago)

Akshully, I don't think it was a common name. That would be stoopid.

― Falling down the stairs again (noodle vague), Thursday, 15 December 2005 12:37 (twenty years ago)

I think leggs are being pulled here over Bloggs being a common surname

― We Buy a Hammer For Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 15 December 2005 12:38 (twenty years ago)

A couple of etymological dictionaries say it's a fairly recent coinage.

― Falling down the stairs again (noodle vague), Thursday, 15 December 2005 12:41 (twenty years ago)

Joe Bloggs is the ultimate everyman in Australia. It's used all the time

― sffd, Thursday, 15 December 2005 12:41 (twenty years ago)

A couple of etymological dictionaries which say it's a fairly recent coinage but don't tell you its origin?

― We Buy a Hammer For Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 15 December 2005 12:43 (twenty years ago)

Well, they'd base it on the earliest print reference they could find, wouldn't they? Which wouldn't leave you any the wiser as to origin.

― Falling down the stairs again (noodle vague), Thursday, 15 December 2005 12:44 (twenty years ago)

i think it's from those test preparation books. the funny ones. it might be princeton review. i distinctly remember hearing that 'joe bloggs doesn't take BC calculus.'

― carly (carly), Thursday, 15 December 2005 13:37 (twenty years ago)

Carly seconded -- I wrote for Princeton Review once, back in the day. I sort of assumed they'd phase out Mr. Bloggs after "blogging" became a "thing" so as not to confuse their dim readership.

― Paul Eater (eater), Thursday, 15 December 2005 15:26 (twenty years ago)

carly thirded.

― AaronK (AaronK), Thursday, 15 December 2005 15:43 (twenty years ago)

Jeremy Irons
Brian May
Brain Cant
Joe Bloggs

― Mädchen (Madchen), Thursday, 15 December 2005 15:48 (twenty years ago)

Brian Cant, I mean.

― Mädchen (Madchen), Thursday, 15 December 2005 15:48 (twenty years ago)

I don't think it's from the princeton review

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 15 December 2005 15:52 (twenty years ago)

nigel havers?

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 15 December 2005 15:56 (twenty years ago)

1969 Guardian 6 Mar. 7/2
LSD can be taken by Joe Bloggs on a lump of sugar.

― Mädchen (Madchen), Thursday, 15 December 2005 15:58 (twenty years ago)

(RJG, nice)

― Mädchen (Madchen), Thursday, 15 December 2005 15:59 (twenty years ago)

Walt Disney

― Rumpie (lil drummer girl parumpumpumpu), Thursday, 15 December 2005 16:04 (twenty years ago)

Aye he dis.

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Thursday, 15 December 2005 16:13 (twenty years ago)

it might be princeton review

Pretty sure Joe Bloggs is British originally

― We Buy a Hammer For Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 15 December 2005 17:34 (twenty years ago)

boz skaggs

― slow jamz and white guy indie acoustic shit (Chris V), Thursday, 15 December 2005 18:01 (twenty years ago)

I don't think Carly was saying Princeton Review coined "Joe Bloggs"; at least I wasn't seconding her on that. They just popularized it in the US, on t-shirts and such.

― Paul Eater (eater), Thursday, 15 December 2005 18:30 (twenty years ago)

For the people who didn't click my link, the OED says it was first used in print by the Guardian, a British newspaper, on March 6 1969. Bloggs may come from 'blog', a possible corruption of 'bloke'. Thank you.

― Mädchen (Madchen), Friday, 16 December 2005 10:04 (twenty years ago)

Michael Mates

― NickB (NickB), Friday, 16 December 2005 10:14 (twenty years ago)

What about him?

― We Buy a Hammer For Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 16 December 2005 10:16 (twenty years ago)

one year passes...

this name was used for the "Don't be this stupid" example in the SAT training video they showed us

― Curt1s Stephens, Monday, 30 July 2007 17:37 (eighteen years ago)

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