man on the street
10
2.7
- noun
:
hombre de a pie
- It's your basic man on the street.
- man-on-the-street interview
- average man on the street
- homeless man on the street
But despite all of this, the average man on the street still feels that the economy is in terrible shape.
- But despite all of this, the average man on the street still feels that the economy is in terrible shape.
Examples
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Their real failure is that they don't even understand why the recession happened, despite the fact that the man on the street can grasp the idea once he is aware of the facts.
Blog text (31) -
Maybe we should go out front and do a man on the street taste test.
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But despite all of this, the average man on the street still feels that the economy is in terrible shape.
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Or how about a man on the street holding a sign saying he would work for food?
Blog text (25) -
Thoughts that the average man on the street would think were pretty crazy.
Academic text (1995) -
Matt is truly our man on the street.
Blog text (10) -
Our plan whilst in the States was to speak to both some of the highest authorities on Shakespeare in America, as well as the man on the street.
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I have learned more about economics, society, and the world from the man on the street than I could ever get from a think tank or a PhD from Harvard.
Blog text (23) -
But the one thing he did was treat people decently—even the poorest man on the street.
Blog text (23) -
The documentary featured interviews with the man on the street to capture public opinions on the current events.
Synonyms
30
2.0
An ordinary man without a title, rank, or special rights
16
5.4
An ordinary person who most people can identify with
15
1.8
A regular man with no special skills or fame
10
2.5
A regular man who stands for the average person
5
3.4
A regular person who shows the views of most people
1
6.3
A typical person who represents what most people think
1
1.4
A person who has no title and is an ordinary member of society
1
5.2
A typical person with no special skills or fame
1
6.1
An ordinary person who represents the public
1
4.1
An ordinary member of the public
An average person used as a name to represent most people in Australia
A name people use for an ordinary, typical man
Antonyms
How Typical
10
2.7
∞
3.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an ordinary member of the general public' is directly derivable from the constituents: 'man' combined with the locative phrase 'on the street' denotes a person in public or an average bystander. This locative composition is a common, non-idiomatic pattern (see variants like 'man in the street') and would be predictable to a B1 learner who knows the words.
Etymology
The phrase man on the street comes from the simple image of a regular man standing on a street who is stopped by reporters or pollsters to give his view. So it now means 'an ordinary member of the public' or 'a typical person'.