Joanie

See also: joanie

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -əʊni

Etymology 1

From Joan +‎ -ie. Doublet of Ivanka, Jan, Janelle, Janet, Janey, Janine, Jeanette, Jeanie, Jeannette, Jeannine, Jen, Jenna, Jenny, Jessy, Jo, Jody, Juanita, Shanae, Sinead, and Vanna.

Proper noun

Joanie

1. diminutive of Joan, a female given name derived from French.

   Alternative form: Joany

Etymology 2

Possibly a reference to Joanie Cunningham, a character from the US sitcom Happy Days (1974–1984), set in the 1950s and 1960s. Compare Joan (“a placeholder or conventional name for a younger lower-class woman”).

Noun

Joanie (plural Joanies)

1. (US, slang, Valleyspeak) A young woman who dresses in an out-of-date and unfashionable manner.

   Alternative form: joanie

   • 1982 October 28, Valley Mom [pseudonym], “Down in the valley, the valley so excellent...”, in Daily Record, volume 83, number 126, Morristown, N.J.: Morristown Daily Record, Inc., →OCLC, page 25:

     I mean phones are like mondo cool, because it's like you don't know what to wear until you check it out with at because they want you to show up looking like a joanie, you know?

   • 1983 February, “Review of Books”, in Art in America, New York, N.Y.: Art In America, Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 15:

     My Mom, who takes night classes in painting and stuff at Valley College and knows about art, except she still wears totally base designer jeans with elastic butts and comes off like a total Joanie, has these other books by Judith Krantz, like Scruples and Princess Daisy.

   • 2008, Laura Ross, The Valley Girl Turns 40, New York, N.Y., Bloomington, I.N.: iUniverse, Inc., →ISBN, page 17:

     You might want to stop being such a total Joanie and move the pony to the back of your head. I wonder if all those years of wearing the side pony has done brain damage? Maybe that would explain why you still wear it.

   • 2017, Jeffrey A[lan] Lockwood, Murder on the Fly, Fayetteville, A.R.: Pen-L Publishing, →ISBN, page 18:

     Nothing to report. No mites, no fleas, nothing," said Larry, "But some of the poor Joanies in the main room were scratching their necks like there was a company louse picnic. We baited some double-sticky tape and roach traps, but I doubt they'll catch anything."