rank and file

Definitions

1. 1

   Enlisted soldiers in a military organization, as would be arrayed in a grid pattern with…

   Enlisted soldiers in a military organization, as would be arrayed in a grid pattern with ranks and files.

2. 2

   The members of an organization, community, etc. who are not in leadership positions.

   • The executives attend meetings in exotic locations while the rank and file stays at headquarters doing the bulk of the work.
   • First, a prominent Tory called the party’s rank and file “swivel-eyed loons.”
   • Overnight, I have joined the rank and file of gym-bound office employees in their sneakers and suits. You know: the ones who walk around trailing sad little bags containing soggy towels and spare shoes and shampoo.

The neighborhood