English Reference

Word

johnnie

Phoneticsjohn·nie

/ˈdʒɑni/

Definition

n. a rubber cover for a man's penis used during sex to prevent pregnancy or disease. It is a very informal word for a condom.

n. a prophylactic sheath worn on the penis during sexual intercourse. Informal in register; primarily used in British and Australian English.

Examples

“He made sure he had a johnnie in his wallet.”

“The health clinic distributed free johnnies to students as part of their safe sex awareness campaign.”

“While formal medical literature uses the term condom, colloquial speech in certain regions often substitutes it with johnnie, reflecting a more casual or euphemistic approach to discussing contraception.”

Examples

simple

“He made sure he had a johnnie in his wallet.”

contextual

“The health clinic distributed free johnnies to students as part of their safe sex awareness campaign.”

complex

“While formal medical literature uses the term condom, colloquial speech in certain regions often substitutes it with johnnie, reflecting a more casual or euphemistic approach to discussing contraception.”

Usage

Informal British and Australian slang; avoid in formal or professional contexts.

Etymology

From John + -ie.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
C2 · Proficiency
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

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English Reference