The great unwashed 🧑‍🤝‍🧑🧼❌

Meaning

A term used to refer to the common people, often with a dismissive or contemptuous attitude towards their perceived lack of refinement or hygiene.

Origin

This rather snobbish phrase emerged in the 19th century, a time of stark social divides and evolving ideas of cleanliness. While its exact coinage is debated, it was popularized by writer Thomas Carlyle in his 1837 work 'The French Revolution.' Carlyle used it to describe the masses, implying their general populace was not only large and powerful but also unbathed and uncouth. The phrase captured a prevailing upper-class sentiment, painting a picture of the common folk as a sort of undifferentiated, unhygienic horde, distinct from the more refined and, presumably, regularly washed gentry.

The great unwashed represented with emoji🧑‍🤝‍🧑🧼❌

This playful juxtaposition of figures and soap, crossed out, challenges the viewer to reconsider common phrases. It functions as a delightful trick of the eye, prompting us to look beyond the literal and engage with the witty subversion of idioms, proving that even the most familiar expressions can be made fresh and thought-provoking with a sprinkle of emoji magic.

Examples

  • The aristocrats rarely mingled with the great unwashed from the lower classes.
  • He viewed himself as a superior being, separate from the great unwashed.
  • The king, from his gilded tower, sighed and wondered if the great unwashed ever appreciated his royal decrees.
  • The baker, covered in flour, humorously declared himself one of the great unwashed, though his bread was divine.

Frequently asked questions

Is 'the great unwashed' considered offensive today?

Yes, 'the great unwashed' is widely considered offensive and classist today. It originated as a pejorative term used by the upper classes to disparage ordinary people, implying they were unrefined and unhygienic.

Did 'the great unwashed' always imply poor hygiene?

While 'unwashed' literally suggests a lack of bathing, the phrase 'the great unwashed' also carried connotations of being uneducated, uncivilized, and lacking in social graces. The term's offensiveness lies in its broad dismissal of the masses as inferior.

Who was the first person to use 'the great unwashed'?

The exact coinage is debated, but writer Thomas Carlyle popularized the phrase 'the great unwashed' in his 1837 work 'The French Revolution.' He used it to describe the common people in a historically dismissive and judgmental manner.

What's the opposite of 'the great unwashed'?

Opposite terms for 'the great unwashed' might include 'the elite,' 'the gentry,' or 'the upper classes,' reflecting a societal division. These phrases denote groups perceived as refined, educated, and socially superior.

Similar to "the great unwashed"

The common herd
Both refer to the masses, but 'the common herd' leans more into their perceived lack of individuality and blind following, whereas 'the great unwashed' highlights suspected poor hygiene and refinement
The hoi polloi
Both terms dismiss the masses, but 'the hoi polloi' (from Greek) carries a more classical, perhaps slightly more intellectual, contempt, focusing on the lack of sophistication rather than just dirt
The plebeians
Both denote the lower classes with a sneer, but 'the plebeians' points to a historical Roman social divide, specifically contrasting them with the 'patricians' and implying a lack of noble birthright as much as refinement

Opposite of "the great unwashed"

The salt of the earth
This phrase argues for the fundamental goodness and integrity of ordinary people, a direct rejoinder to the dismissive and contemptuous tone of 'the great unwashed'
The backbone of the nation
It champions the essential contribution and strength of the common people, framing them as vital and admirable, a stark contrast to the implication of being merely dirty and uncivilized

Related to "the great unwashed"

Class consciousness
This concept orbit around the social divisions that give rise to terms like 'the great unwashed', exploring the awareness of one's own social standing relative to others
Toff
A 'toff' is the type of person who might look down their nose and coin a phrase like 'the great unwashed', representing the opposite end of the social spectrum
Chav
While 'the great unwashed' is a more general historical dismissal, 'chav' is a modern, often class-based slur that similarly targets perceived vulgarity and lack of taste in the lower classes
Noblesse oblige
This ideal suggests a responsibility for those in higher social standing to act honorably towards those beneath them, making it a conceptual counterpoint to the dishonorable contempt implied by 'the great unwashed'
The masses
This is the neutral, descriptive term for the group that 'the great unwashed' contemptuously labels, capturing the sheer size and often anonymous nature of the population being discussed