Green’s Dictionary of Slang

the average, law-abiding citizen.

1933		J. Gray ‘The Nudist Gym Death Riddle’ in Vice Squad Detective 🌐 A candid camera, brought into action from a concealed spot while Mr. John Q. Businessman was cavorting [...] with a luscious beauty.
1937		in N&Q 6 Mar. 177: check John Q. Public.
1940		Pittsburgh Courier (PA) 10 Feb. 7/1: I just had to [...] hep John Q. Public .
1943		Lancs. Eve. Post 29 Mar. 3/5: Thousands of innocent people have been murdered [...] This couldn’t have been done without the active co-operation of the ‘simple Fritz Schmids’ whose minds regard murder as ‘plain John Q. Citizens’ regard a football match.
1945		Suburban List 8 Feb. 10/2: Who is going to represent and look out for the interests of John Q. Public as a lobbyist? [DA].
1947		Denver Post 25 Feb. 16/1: It makes no difference that thousands of plain John Q. Citizens are unable to buy tickets at any price [DA].
1948		Daily Ardmoreite 29 Apr. 1/1: The political big shots are so sure of the way John Q. Voter will act they do not fret themselves over him at all [DA].
1951		D. Dressler Parole Chief 45: The feelings, hopes, and fears of John Citizen.
1959		M. Richler Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1964) 38: Night and day, rain or shine, I am at the service of John Q. Public.
1962		T. Berger Reinhart in Love (1963) 20: John T. Nobody whose name was pulled from a hopper to win radio lotteries.
1962		J. Viertel To Love and Corrupt 288: I am damn sorry to be working for John Q. Public.
1977		Aviation Wk and Space Technology 9 May 70: Those of us who have watched the Apollo or Viking projects financially and technically struggle...may have a different perspective on our numerous space accomplishments than does the general public, be they John Q. or Jane Q. Public [HDAS].
1983		J. Ciardi A Second Browser’s Dict. 157: John Public, a useful personification, soon became John Q. Public, and John Q. Fucking Public.
1997		E. Little Another Day in Paradise 8: One thing I don’t want [...] is getting interrupted by John Q. Citizen.
1997		T. Fontana ‘God's Chillin’ Oz ser. 1 ep. 3 [TV script] I’m not talking about what’s real, I’m talking about John Q’s perception.
2001		(con. 1975–6) E. Little Steel Toes 146: And like John Q. Fucking Citizen, he cuts the word off on the first syllable [...] because Phil takes a step [...] and roars ‘Git!’.
2001		S. King Dreamcatcher 227: Everyone is going to be wearing them. Except for the John Q’s in the Holding Area. [Ibid.] 351: The guys in charge believe the shit-weasels are just a little too upsetting for John Q. Public.
2005		P. Leahy hearing Senate Judiciary Committee on John Roberts’ nomination to the Supreme Court 13 Sept. n.p.: You wrote that Congress may not ask the courts, in effect, to exercise oversight responsibility at the behest of any John Q. Public who happens to be interested in the issue.
2006		B. Matthews Intractable [ebook] Skippy deserved a chance at being a John Citizen.
2009		T. Black Gutted 227: If it made me blush, Christ alone know what John Q. Citizen thought of it.
2012		L. Berney Whiplash River [ebook] ‘Shake is supposed to be. John Q. Dingus, whoever’.
2012		T. Piccirilli Last Kind Words 135: ‘How about if you save that kind of talk for John Citizen, Mal?’.
2015		S. King Finders Keepers (2016) 77: I don’t give a shit if its John Q Motherfucker.