johnny-come-lately
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
A person who has recently become involved in something
Literally: a late-arriving person named Johnny
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “johnny-come-lately” mean?
A person who has recently become involved in something Literally: a late-arriving person named Johnny
Is “johnny-come-lately” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.