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Johnny-come-lately

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John⋅ny-come-late⋅ly

[jon-ee-kuhm-leyt-lee]
–noun, plural John⋅ny-come-late⋅lies, John⋅nies-come-late⋅ly.
a late arrival or participant; newcomer: the Johnny-come-latelies producing space-war films after the trend had ended.
Also, Johnnie-come-lately.


Origin:
1825–35; from the proper name Johnny
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Johnny-come-lately
John·ny-come-late·ly   (jŏn'ē-kŭm-lāt'lē)   
n.   pl. John·ny-come-late·lies or John·nies-come-late·ly (jŏn'ēz-) Informal
A newcomer or latecomer, especially a recent adherent to a cause or trend.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Idioms & Phrases

Johnny-come-lately

A newcomer, as in She may be a Johnny-come-lately on the board, but she's doing a fine job with publicity. [1830s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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