Quote:
Originally Posted by annesingleton
Does anyone know anything about 'Joe Soap'? As in, "Who's that"? "It's Joe Soap" when you don't know the person's name.
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This is what Wikipedia has to say, Anne:
"Joe Soap" is British rhyming slang denoting a foolish stooge or scapegoat.
Joe being an ordinary person, with
Soap as a rhyme for
dope. The phrase appeared in a 1943 book of military slang by John Hunt and Alan Pringle:
“Joe Soap, the ‘dumb’ or not so intelligent members of the forces. The men who are ‘over-willing’ and therefore the usual ‘stooges’.” The name Joe Soap appears in the WW1 song "Joe Soap's Army" sung to the tune of "
Onward Christian Soldiers". ("Forward, Joe soap's army, marching without fear, with our brave commander, safely in the rear.")
Like many of the expressions posted on here, I don't think it's as "local" as you might think.