Definition of "joe"

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.

2001, Tod Hoffman, Le Carré's Landscape, page 193

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.

2004, Richard W. Cutler, Counterspy, page 96

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

2009, John Fleming, Stoppard's Theatre: Finding Order amid Chaos, page 178

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.

2010, Mick Herron, Slow Horses, page 215

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.

1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “Chapter XCIX. The Doubloon”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, page 481

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.

1861, “United States Mint”, “Chapter I. Establishment of Mint—Standard of Coins—Laws Regulating Coinage—Progress of Coinage—Precious Metals in the Country”, in Eighty Years’ Progress of the United States: […], volume I, New York: […]. Worcester, Mass.: L. Stebbins, page 213, column 1

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.”

1863 August, The Historical Magazine, and Notes and Queries Concerning the Antiquities, History and Biography of America, volume VII, number 8, New York: Charles B. Richardson, […]. London: Trübner & Co., page 245, column 2

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.

2008 January–February, “70 Ways to Improve Every Day of the Week”, in Men's Health, volume 23, number 1, page 135

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.

2010, Melody Carlson, A Mile in My Flip-Flops, page 221

I fear, my joe, the good that I can do him,Or ev'n the minister, if he were here,Would be but little.

1836 Joanna Baillie The Phantom, Act 2. Provost, to a maidservant.