"Dear John letter" meaning in English

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "Dear Jane letter"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "John Doe"
      },
      "expansion": "John Doe",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "John Q. Public"
      },
      "expansion": "John Q. Public",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "While the exact origins of the phrase are unknown, it is commonly believed to have been invented by Americans during World War II. Large numbers of American troops were stationed overseas for many months or years, and as time passed many of their wives or girlfriends decided to begin a relationship with a new man rather than wait for their old one to return. As letters to servicemen from wives or girlfriends back home would typically contain affectionate language, a serviceman receiving a note beginning with a curt \"Dear John\" (as opposed to the expected \"Dear Johnny\", \"My dearest John\" or simply \"Darling\" for example) would instantly be aware of the letter's purpose.\nThere are a number of theories on why the name John is used rather than any other. For starters, John was a common name in America at the time. John is also the name used in many other terms that refer to an anonymous man or men, such as John Doe or John Q. Public. Further, there existed prior to World War II a radio programme starring Irene Rich which was presented as a letter written by a gossipy female character to her never-identified romantic interest. It was both titled and opened with the words \"Dear John\", and may have contributed to the genesis of the term.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "Dear John letters",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "head": "Dear John letter"
      },
      "expansion": "Dear John letter (plural Dear John letters)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Post",
          "orig": "en:Post",
          "parents": [
            "Communication",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Thirty years later in Vietnam, he was still carrying the Dear John letter he had received from his high-school sweetheart.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1988, John Sullivan (lyrics and music), “Dear John”, in Dear John (American TV series), performed by Wendy Talbot",
          "text": "Dear John / Dear John / By the time you read these lines, I'll be gone / Life goes on / right or wrong / Now it's all been said and done, dear John / Seems we've sung love's last song, dear John / Seems we've sung love's last song, poor John / Seems we've sung love's last song, dear John",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A letter from a wife or girlfriend to her husband or boyfriend, informing that the relationship is over, often because the writer has initiated a relationship with someone else."
      ],
      "id": "en-Dear_John_letter-en-noun-PjkPQvBS",
      "links": [
        [
          "letter",
          "letter"
        ],
        [
          "wife",
          "wife"
        ],
        [
          "girlfriend",
          "girlfriend"
        ],
        [
          "husband",
          "husband"
        ],
        [
          "boyfriend",
          "boyfriend"
        ],
        [
          "relationship",
          "relationship"
        ],
        [
          "writer",
          "writer"
        ],
        [
          "initiate",
          "initiate"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "Dear John"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "Lieve Jan-brief"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "Dear John letter"
}

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "Dear Jane letter"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "John Doe"
      },
      "expansion": "John Doe",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "John Q. Public"
      },
      "expansion": "John Q. Public",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "While the exact origins of the phrase are unknown, it is commonly believed to have been invented by Americans during World War II. Large numbers of American troops were stationed overseas for many months or years, and as time passed many of their wives or girlfriends decided to begin a relationship with a new man rather than wait for their old one to return. As letters to servicemen from wives or girlfriends back home would typically contain affectionate language, a serviceman receiving a note beginning with a curt \"Dear John\" (as opposed to the expected \"Dear Johnny\", \"My dearest John\" or simply \"Darling\" for example) would instantly be aware of the letter's purpose.\nThere are a number of theories on why the name John is used rather than any other. For starters, John was a common name in America at the time. John is also the name used in many other terms that refer to an anonymous man or men, such as John Doe or John Q. Public. Further, there existed prior to World War II a radio programme starring Irene Rich which was presented as a letter written by a gossipy female character to her never-identified romantic interest. It was both titled and opened with the words \"Dear John\", and may have contributed to the genesis of the term.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "Dear John letters",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "head": "Dear John letter"
      },
      "expansion": "Dear John letter (plural Dear John letters)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
        "English eponyms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "Translation table header lacks gloss",
        "en:Post"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Thirty years later in Vietnam, he was still carrying the Dear John letter he had received from his high-school sweetheart.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1988, John Sullivan (lyrics and music), “Dear John”, in Dear John (American TV series), performed by Wendy Talbot",
          "text": "Dear John / Dear John / By the time you read these lines, I'll be gone / Life goes on / right or wrong / Now it's all been said and done, dear John / Seems we've sung love's last song, dear John / Seems we've sung love's last song, poor John / Seems we've sung love's last song, dear John",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A letter from a wife or girlfriend to her husband or boyfriend, informing that the relationship is over, often because the writer has initiated a relationship with someone else."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "letter",
          "letter"
        ],
        [
          "wife",
          "wife"
        ],
        [
          "girlfriend",
          "girlfriend"
        ],
        [
          "husband",
          "husband"
        ],
        [
          "boyfriend",
          "boyfriend"
        ],
        [
          "relationship",
          "relationship"
        ],
        [
          "writer",
          "writer"
        ],
        [
          "initiate",
          "initiate"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "Dear John"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "Lieve Jan-brief"
    }
  ],
  "word": "Dear John letter"
}