Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. the corner, esp. a public house on a corner.

1891		Sporting Times 28 Mar. 1/3: Well known figures from the corner / [...] / Vanished round the Johnny Horner.
1897		‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘Meg’s Diversion’ in Sporting Times 4 Sept. n.p.: Round the Johnny Horner, to where she’d been / Just a birdlime or two before.
1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.
1909		Truth (Brisbane) 14 Feb. 9/5: Waitin’ roind the Johnny horner, / Drivin’ just a little way.
a.1913		Murray & Leigh [perf. Frank Seeley] ‘The Amateur Whitewasher’ 🎵 In and out the corners / Round the Johnny Horners.
1915		W. Gippslang Gaz. (Vic.) 10 Aug. 3/6: A corner is a Jack Horner.
1917		in Seal (1999) 59: The Yank: ‘Say Guy, how far to battle?’ Aussie: ‘Well sonny, I guess it’s about five kilos. Just “pencil and chalk” straight along this “frog and toad” till you come to the “romp and ramp” on the “johnny horner”.’.
1935		A.J. Pollock Und. Speaks 20/1: Charley Horner, a street corner.
1938		L. Ortzen Down Donkey Row 24: There’s me quietly takin’ me bills on the corner [...] everythin’s going smooth: then round the Johnny Horner dashes these two dicks.
1944		Maurer & Baker ‘“Aus.” Rhyming Argot’ in AS XIX:3 191/2: Charley Horner. The corner.
1949		H.C. Bosman Cold Stone Jug (1981) II 21: I piped what looks like two johns coming round the johnny horner.
1950		S.J. Baker in Sun. Herald (Sydney) 8 June 9/5: Detective Doyle has about a dozen rhyming slang words in his list. For example: [...] ‘Johnny Horner,’ corner .
1957		G. Kersh Fowlers End (2001) 268: On the Johnny Horner I must stand / In this land of the yet-to-be, / ’Olding out my Martin’s-le-Grand / For the price of a Rosie Lee.
1969		S.T. Kendall Up the Frog 13: Bung it in the Johnnie ’Orner alongside the dickory dock.
1971		J. Jones Rhy. Cockney Sl.
1983		R. Aven-Bray Ridgey-Didge Oz Jack Lang 7: The paper doll on the Johnny Horner knew that the bulge in his sky rocket was not an aristotle.
1984		Partridge DSUE (8th edn) 625/2: C.20.
2001		D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 94/2: Jack Horner n. corner.
2002		M. Coles More Bible in Cockney 83: The sheet was being held by its four Jack Horners.

2. a situation, usu. stressful.

1915

W. Gippslang Gaz. (Vic.) 10 Aug. 3/7: We was in a pretty tight Johnny Horner.