John Hancock
UK /dʒɒn ˈhænkɒk/ · US /dʒɑn ˈhænkɑk/ noun, verb
Forms John Hancocks John Hancocking John Hancocked
- noun (US, idiomatic) A person's signature. “Please put your John Hancock on the dotted line to close the deal.”
- verb (US, transitive) To sign; to write one's signature on (something).
Synonyms
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.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “John Hancock”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details