joe

noun

1. 1

   informalA male; a guy; a fellow.

   I'm just an ordinary joe.

2. 2

   slangA spy, especially a double agent.

   Name me a joe in a bad country ... who doesn't fall for a pretty face if she's on his side against the world.

   Soviet troops were permitted to enter the American sector, where they could easily capture and torture an agent to confirm the existence of a Joe house, then cripple American espionage efforts by kidnapping a nest of spies in one fell swoop.

   Then Hapgood turned him into a joe — that is, he works for the British.

   Lamb didn't look any different, was still a soft fat rude bastard, still dressed like he'd been thrown through a charity shop window, but Jesus, River thought—Lamb was a joe.

3. 3

   historicalSynonym of johannes (“An old Portuguese gold coin bearing a figure of John V of Portugal.”).

   I have seen doubloons before now in my voyagings; your doubloons of old Spain, your doubloons of Peru, your doubloons of Chili, your doubloons of Bolivia, your doubloons of Popayan; with plenty of gold moidores and pistoles, and joes, and half joes, and quarter joes.

   Guineas, joes, half joes, doubloons, and pistoles of various origin constituted the gold currency, while the silver was mostly the Spanish American dollar and its fractions: the half, quarter, eighth, and sixteenth, with the pistareen and half pistareen.

   In the olden time the currency, you know, was a l^([sic]) in gold and silver, joes, half-joes (Johannes), pistoles, moidores, doubloons, pistareens, ninepences (12+¹⁄₂ cents), and fourpence-half-pennies (6+¹⁄₄ cents) or “fippenny-bits.”

noun

1. 1

   informalCoffee.

   In olden times, you'd wander down to Mom's Cafe for a bite to eat and a cup of joe, and you would feel right at home.

   45 have some joe Week's almost over—now bring it home. Austrian researchers found that a cup of java resulted in a 45-minute boost of brain activity in the regions responsible for attention, concentration, and short-term memory.

   Some people say I make the best joe in town. But you know there's a kiosk over on Eighteenth Avenue, not that far from here.

noun

1. 1

   Variant of joAlternative form of jo (“a darling or sweetheart”).

   1836 Joanna Baillie The Phantom, Act 2. Provost, to a maidservant. I fear, my joe, the good that I can do him, Or ev'n the minister, if he were here, Would be but little.

   My tantie Kate sits at her wheel, / And sair she lightlies me; / But weel ken I it's a' envy, / For ne'er a joe has she.

Forms

plural

joes