Meanings
nounsquare john (plural square johns)
plural square johns
- slangA prisoner who generally obeys the rules and avoids trouble.
Like thieves, square johns are a shrinking proportion of the American inmate population.
2017, David Musick, Kristine Gunsaulus-Musick, American Prisons: Their Past, Present and Future, page 271 more example
Occasionally reputable persons, or "square johns," commit a felony of the type that leads to arrest […]
1987, John Irwin, The Jail: Managing the Underclass in American Society, page 38
Cite this entry
APA
square john. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/square%20john
MLA
“square john.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/square%20john. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “square john,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/square%20john.
Source: square john on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.