woman on the street
2
2.8
- noun
:
mujer común
- Yes, there's a woman on the street...
- man or woman on the street
Examples
-
She is just an average woman on the street with no special fame or authority.
-
He redeemed himself by sincerely trying to get the word out on mainstream media to the average man and woman on the street to prepare now for what is coming in the next 12 months.
Blog text (23) -
I'd caught him, after all, kissing a woman on the street outside his apartment.
Fiction book (1997) -
But it bothered me seeing that woman on the street.
-
Frankly, considering where I live, they could ask any third woman on the street and get an appropriately fantastic answer.
Blog text (27) -
A man came up to a woman on the street and asked, "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" The woman answered, "Practice, practice."
Fiction book (2000) -
Passing a woman on the street is unlikely to trigger stereotypes, but working under a female manager may activate stereotypes.
Academic text (2013) -
The opinions of the man and woman on the street can reflect the views of the general public.
-
You can learn a lot from talking to a woman on the street about current events.
Synonyms
10
2.7
An ordinary person who is not an expert
5
3.4
A regular person who shows the views of most people
Antonyms
How Famous
480
2.3
51
3.5
5
4.1
- Literature
2
2.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'woman' + location 'on the street' — i.e. an ordinary member of the public or passerby — so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can infer this sense. This is a common, cross-linguistic pattern (compare 'man in the street') and is not highly idiomatic or metaphorical, making it readily comprehensible.
Etymology
Woman on the street comes from the simple image of a woman walking along a street who a reporter might stop to ask a quick question. Because reporters used these short, random interviews to show everyday views, the phrase now means 'an ordinary woman' or 'a typical member of the public'.