great unwashed
English
Etymology
Attributed by many to Edmund Burke, the first published use of the phrase was by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in a dedicatory epistle for 1830, Paul Clifford.[1]
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 159: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value RP is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˌɡɹeɪt ʌnˈwɒʃt/
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 159: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value US is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˌɡɹeɪt ʌnˈwɔːʃt/, /ˌɡɹeɪt ʌnˈwɑːʃt/
Audio (US): (file) Audio (AU): (file)
Noun
- (idiomatic, derogatory) The general populace, particularly the working class.
- 1995, Christina Blizzard, Right Turn: How the Tories Took Ontario:
- The Liberal campaign was so carefully orchestrated that McLeod was never in a position to be confronted by the great unwashed. Unfortunately, the great unwashed rarely vote for a leader whom they have never met.
Synonyms
- (the populace): hoi polloi, unwashed masses
Translations
a contemptuous term for the populace, particularly the working class