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John Henry
noun
- Informal. a person's signature.
- U.S. Folklore. a legendary Black man of exceptional strength and stamina.
“John Henry”
1- An American folksong ( see folk music ) about the “steel-driving man” John Henry . It contains these lines:
John Henry said to his captain,
“A man ain't nothin' but a man,
And before I'd let your steam drill beat me down,
I'd die with the hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord!
I'd die with the hammer in my hand.”
Henry, John
2- A hero of American folktales and folk songs. The stories portray him as a black man, enormously strong, who worked on railroads or on steamboats and died from exhaustion after he outperformed a steam drill in a contest.
Word History and Origins
Origin of John Henry1
Example Sentences
Chris Hughes at The New Republic, John Henry in Boston, Jeff Bezos in Washington.
John Henry Menton took off his hat, bulged out the dinge and smoothed the nap with care on his coatsleeve.
The copy bearing date 1628, to which reference has been made, belonged to John Henry Shorthouse.
I let my John Henry take the long-tailed wagon an' go down to the depot this mornin' to fetch her an' her goods up.
"I hear him," said John Henry suddenly; and faint and far away there came the sound of a desperate bark.
Do you think old Rover "overheard them talking," as John Henry suggests?
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