great unwashed

noun
/ˌɡɹeɪt ʌnˈwɒʃt/UK/ˌɡɹeɪt ʌnˈwɔːʃt/US

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.

Definitions

  1. The general populace, particularly the working class.

    • 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.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for great unwashed. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA