Idiom
great unwashed
Meaning
The general populace, particularly the working class.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The politician rarely speaks directly to the great unwashed.”
“He acts like he is too good to eat with the great unwashed.”
“The private club keeps its doors closed to the great unwashed.”
“The wealthy owner built a private gate to avoid mixing with the great unwashed at the public beach.”
“The famous actor wore a heavy disguise because he did not want to be recognized by the great unwashed while shopping for groceries.”
“Some critics argue that modern art galleries are designed to be confusing so they can keep the great unwashed away from the exhibits.”
“The aristocrat looked down from his balcony, seemingly convinced that his refined lifestyle was entirely separate from the concerns of the great unwashed.”
Examples
simple
“The politician rarely speaks directly to the great unwashed.”
“He acts like he is too good to eat with the great unwashed.”
“The private club keeps its doors closed to the great unwashed.”
contextual
“The wealthy owner built a private gate to avoid mixing with the great unwashed at the public beach.”
“The famous actor wore a heavy disguise because he did not want to be recognized by the great unwashed while shopping for groceries.”
“Some critics argue that modern art galleries are designed to be confusing so they can keep the great unwashed away from the exhibits.”
complex
“The aristocrat looked down from his balcony, seemingly convinced that his refined lifestyle was entirely separate from the concerns of the great unwashed.”
Origin
While often attributed to Edmund Burke, the phrase first appeared in print in 1830. Edward Bulwer-Lytton included the term in a dedicatory epistle for his novel Paul Clifford, providing a name for the populace that has outlasted the specific literary context of the work.
Key words
Related idioms
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