Johnny-one-note
English
Alternative forms
- Johnny one note, Johnny one-note, Johnny One-note, Johnny One Note
Etymology
"Johnny One Note" is a show tune from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical Babes in Arms. The lyrics tell a story of a male vocalist named Johnny who sang with a band and could sing only one note, but sang that note extremely well.
Pronunciation
Audio (AU) (file)
Noun
Johnny-one-note (plural Johnny-one-notes)
- (idiomatic, chiefly Canada, US) A person (or organization) who often expresses a strong opinion or viewpoint on a single subject or a few particular subjects.
- (idiomatic, chiefly Canada, US) An opinion or viewpoint on a single subject or a few particular subjects which is frequently expressed by a person or organization.
- 1945 July 9, “The Press: Confessions of a Grouch”, in Time, volume 46, number 1, archived from the original on 2013-08-06:
- Whether his boss (Hearst) had told him to get off his Johnny-one-note of hate toward labor leaders, foreigners and New Dealers, or whether Pegler had decided all by himself to change his tune, no one knew.
-
See also
- one-note